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PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

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PROSE    WRITINGS 


OF 


BAYARD     TAYLOR. 


REVISED   EDITION. 


CENTRAL  AFRICA,  THE  WHITE  NILE  &C 


NEW  YORK: 
G.    P.    PUTNAM,    532    BROADWAY. 

18G2. 


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JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA; 


LIFE   AND   LANDSCAPES   FROM    EGYPT 

TO  THE  NEGRO  KINGDOMS  OF 

THE    WHITE    NILE. 


BY 


BAYARD    TAYLOR, 


Stint  lj  a  ftlap  ana  SlUstrations  bq  tijt  Slut^or. 

ELEVENTH    EDITION. 

NEW    YORK: 

G.     P.     PUTNAM,     532     BROADWAY. 

18G2. 


W 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S54.  by 

G.   P.   PUTNAM   &  CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


R.    C,RATGIIKAT>, 

r,  Si,,,.,,iyp,i,  and  Kiectrotypei, 

Carton  t'uiltiing, 


IDcoirateb    to 

A.  B. 

OF    S  AXE-CO  BURG-GOT  HA, 

BY 

HIS    FELLOW-TRAVELLER    IN     EGYPT. 

B.  T. 


:pt54 

T3 


PEEFACE. 


There  is  an  old  Italian  proverb,  which  says  a  man 
has  lived  to  no  purpose,  unless  he  has  either  built  a 
house,  begotten  a  son,  or  written  a  book.  As  I  have 
already  complied  more  than  once  with  the  latter  of 
these  requisitions,  1  must  seek  to  justify  the  present 
repetition  thereof,  on  other  grounds.  My  reasons  for 
offering  this  volume  to  the  public  are,  simply,  that 
there  is  room  for  it.  It  is  the  record  of  a  journey  which 
led  me,  for  the  most  part,  over  fresh  fields,  by  paths 
which  comparatively  few  had  trodden  before  me.  Al- 
though I  cannot  hope  to  add  much  to  the  general 
6tock  of  information  concerning  Central  Africa,  I  may 
serve,  at  least,  as  an  additional  witness,  to  confirm  or 
illustrate  the  evidence  of  others.  Hence,  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  work  has  appeared  to  me  rather  in  the  light 


M313G81 


2  PREFACE. 

of  a  duty  than  a  diversion,  and  I  have  endeavored  to 
impart  as  much  instruction  as  amusement  to  the 
reader.  While  seeking  to  give  correct  pictures  of  the 
rich,  adventurous  life  into  which  I  was  thrown,  I  have 
resisted  the  temptation  to  yield  myself  up  to  its  more 
subtle  and  poetic  aspects.  My  aim  has  been  to  furnish 
a  faithful  narrative  of  my  own  experience,  believing 
that  none  of  those  embellishments  which  the  imagina- 
tion so  readily  furnishes,  can  equal  the  charm  of  the 
unadorned  truth. 

There  are  a  few  words  of  further  explanation  which 
I  wish  to  say.  The  journey  was  undertaken  solely 
for  the  purpose  of  restoring  a  frame  exhausted  by 
severe  mental  labor.  A  previous  experience  of  a  tropi- 
cal climate  convinced  me  that  I  should  best  accomplish 
my  object  by  a  visit  to  Egypt,  and  as  I  had  a  whole 
winter  before  me,  I  determined  to  penetrate  as  far  into 
the  interior  of  Africa  as  the  time  would  allow,  attracted 
less  by  the  historical  and  geographical  interest  of  those 
regions  than  by  the  desire  to  participate  in  their  free, 
vigorous,  semi-barbaric  life.  If  it  had  been  my  inten- 
tion, as  some  of  my  friends  supposed,  to  search  for  the 
undiscovered  sources  of  the  White  Nile,  I  should  not 
have  turned  back,  until  the  aim  was  accomplished  or  all 
means  had  failed. 

I  am  aware  that,  by  including  in  this  work  my 
journey  through  Egypt,  I  have  gone  over  much  ground 


PREFACE. 


which  is  already  familiar.  Egypt,  however,  was  the 
vestibule  through  which  I  passed  to  Ethiopia  and  the 
kingdoms  beyond,  and  I  have  not  been  able  to  omit  my  • 
impressions  of  that  country  without  detracting  from 
the  completeness  of  the  narrative.  This  book  is  the 
record  of  a  single  journey,  which,  both  in  its  character 
and  in  the  circumstances  that  suggested  and  accompa- 
nied it,  occupies  a  separate  place  in  my  memory.  Its 
performance  was  one  uninterrupted  enjoyment,  for, 
whatever  the  privations  to  which  it  exposed  me,  they 
were  neutralized  by  the  physical  delight  of  restored 
health  and  by  a  happy  confidence  in  the  successful 
issue  of  the  journey,  which  never  forsook  me.  It  is 
therefore  but  just  to  say,  that  the  pictures  I  have 
drawn  may  seem  over-bright  to  others  who  may  here- 
after follow  me  ;  and  I  should  warn  all  such  that  they 
must  expect  to  encounter  many  troubles  and  annoy- 
ances. 

Although  I  have  described  somewhat  minutely  the 
antiquities  of  Nubia  and  Ethiopia  which  I  visited,  and 
have  not  been  insensible  to  the  interest-  which  every 
traveller  in  Egypt  must  feel  in  the  remains  of  her 
ancient  art,  I  have  aimed  at  giving  representations  of 
the  living  races  which  inhabit  those  countries  rather 
than  the  old  ones  which  have  passed  away.  I  have 
taken  it  for  granted  that  the  reader  will  feel  more 
interested — as  I  was — in  a  live   Arab,  than  a   dead 


PREFACE. 


Pharaoh.  I  am  indebted  wholly  to  the  works  of  Cham- 
pollion;  Wilkinson  and  Lepsins  for  whatever  allusions  I 
have  made  to  the  age  and  character  of  the  Egyptian 
ruins.  B.  T. 

New  Yobk,  July,  1854. . 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

Arrival  at  Alexandria— The  Landing— My  First  Oriental  Bath— The  City— Prepara- 
tions for  Departuro, IS 


CHAPTER  IL 

Departure— The  Kangia— The  Egyptian  Climate— The  Mahmoudieh  Canal— Entrance 
into  the  Nile — Pleasures  of  the  Journey— Studying  Arabic— Sight  of  the  Pyramids 
— The  Barrage — Approach  to  Cairo, 21 

CHAPTER  III. 

Entrance — The  Ezbekiyeli — Saracenic  Houses — Donkeys — Tho  Bazaars — The  Streets 
— Processions — View  from  the  Citadel— Mosque  of  Mohammed  AH— The  Koad  to 
Suez— The  Island  of  Iihoda, 84 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Necessity  of  Leaving  Immediately— Engaging  a  Boat— The  Dragomen— Achmet  el 
Saidi — Funds — Information — Procuring  an  Outfit — Preparing  for  the  Desert — The 
Lucky  Day — Exertions  to  Leave — Off, 46 


CHAPTER  V. 

Howling  Dervishes— A  Chicken  Factory— Ride  to  the  Pyramids— Quarrel  with  the 
Arabs — The  Ascent — View  from  the  Summit — Backsheesh — Effect  of  Pyramid- 
climbin«r— The  Sphinx— Playing  the  Cadi— We  obtain  Justice— Visit  to  Sakkara 
and  the  Mummy  Pits — The  Exhumation  of  Memphis — Interview  with  M.  Mariette 
-Account  of  his  Discoveries— Statue  of  Remeses  II.—  Return  to  the  Nile,    .         55 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Leaving  the  Pyramids— A  Calm  and  a  Breeze— A  Coptic  Visit— Minyeh— The  Grothx  s 
of  Beni-IIa-san — Doum  Palms  and  Crocodiles— Djebel  Aboufayda— Entrance  into 
Upper  Egypt — Diversions  of  the  Boatmen — Siout— Its  Tombs — A  Landscape — A 
Bath, 71 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Independence  of  Nile  Life — The  Dahabiych — Our  Servants — Our  Residence— Our  Man- 
ner of  Living — The  Climate — The  Natives — Costume — Our  Sunset  Repose — My 
Friend — A  Sensuous  Life  Defended, 85 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Calm — Mountains  and  Tombs — A  Night  Adventure  in  Ekhmin — Character  of  the 
Boatmen — Fair  Wind — Pilgrims — Egyptian  Agriculture— Sugar  and  Cotton — Grain 
— Sheep — Arrival  at  Kenneh — A  Landscape— The  Temple  of  Dendera — First  Im- 
pressions of  Egyptian  Art— Portrait  of  Cleopatra — A  Happy  Meeting — We  approach 
Thebes, 98 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Arrival  at  Thebes — Ground-Plan  of  the  Remains — We  Cross  to  the  Western  Bank — ■ 
Guides — The  Temple  of  Goorneh — Valley  of  the  Kings1  Tombs — Belzoni's  Tomb — 
The  Races  of  Men — Vandalism  of  Antiquarians — Bruce's  Tomb — Memnon — The 
Grandfather  of  Sesostris— The  Head  of  Amunoph— The  Colossi  of  the  Plain— 
Memnonian  Music— The  Statue  of  Remeses— The  Memnonium— Beauty  of  Egyp- 
tian Art — More  Scrambles  among  the  Tombs — The  Bats  of  the  Assasseef— Medee- 
net  Abou— Sculptured  Histories — The  Great  Court  of  the  Temple — We  return  to 
Luxor,  113 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Dancing  Girls  of  Egypt — A  Night  Scene  in  Luxor — The  Orange-Blossom  and  the 
Apple-Blossom — The  Beautiful  Bemba — The  Dance — Performance  of  the  Apple- 
Blossom — The  Temple  of  Luxor — A  Mohammedan  School — Gallop  to  Karnak — 
View  of  the  Ruins — The  Great  Hall  of  Pillars — Bedouin  Diversions — A  Night 
Ride — Karnak  under  the  Full  Moon — Farewell  to  Thebes,      ....        131 

CHAPTER  XL 

The  Temple  of  Hermontis— Esneh  and  its  Temple— The  Governor— El  Kab  by  Torch- 
light—Tlie  Temple  of  Edfou— The  Quarries  of  Djebel  Silsileb— Ombos—  Approach 
to  Nubia — Change  in  the  Scenery  and  Inhabitants — A  Mirage -Arrival  at  As- 
souan,  145 

CHAPTER  XII. 

An  Official  Visit— Achmet's  Dexterity— The  Island  of  Elephantine— Nubian  Children- 
Trip  toPhila) — Linant  Bey- -The  Island  of  Philse — Sculptures— The  Negro  Race— 


CONTENTS. 


Breakfast  in  a  Ptolemaic  Temple — The  Island  of  Biggeh— Backsheesh— The  Cataract 
— The  Granite  Quarries  of  Assouan — The  Travellers  separate,         .        .        .        152 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

.Solitary  Travel — Scenery  of  tho  Nubian  Nile — Agriculture — The  Inhabitants — Arrival 
at  Korosko — The  Governor — The  Tent  Pitched— Shekh  Abou-Mohammed — Bar- 
gaining for  Camels — A  Drove  of  Giraffes — Visits — Preparations  for  the  Desert— My 
Last  Evening  on  the  Nile, .162 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Curve  of  the  Nile— Routes  across  the  Desert— Our  Caravan  starts— Biding  on  a 
Dromedary — The  Guide  and  Camel-drivers — Hair-dressing — El  Biban— Scenery — 
Dead  Camels — An  Unexpected  Visit — The  Guide  makes  my  Grave — The  River 
without  Water — Characteristics  of  the  Mirage — Desert  Life — The  Sun— The  Desert 
Air — Infernal  Scenery — The  Wells  of  Murr- hat— Christmas — Mountain  Chains- 
Meeting  Caravans— Plains  of  Gravel— The  Story  of  Joseph— Djebel  Mokrat— The 
Last  Day  in  the  Desert— We  see  the  Nile  again, 171 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A  Draught  of  Water — Abou-IIammed— The  Island  of  Mokrat — Ethiopian  Scenery — 
The  People— An  Ababdeh  Apolio— Encampment  on  the  Nile— Tomb  of  an  English- 
man—Eesa's  Wedding— A  White  Arab— The  Last  Day  of  the  Year— Abou-Hashym 
—Incidents— Loss  of  my  Thermometer— The  Valley  of  Wild  Asses— The  Eleventh 
Cataract— Approach  to  Berber— Vultures— Eyoub  Outwitted— We  reach  El  Mek- 
heyref— The  Caravan  Broken  up, 198 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Wedding— My  Reception  by  the  Military  Governor— Achmet— The  Bridegroom — A 
Guard— I  am  an  American  Bey— Keff— The  Bey's  Visit— The  Civil  Governor— 
About  the  Navy— The  Priest's  Visit— Biding  in  State— The  Dongolese  Stallion— A 
Merchant's  House— The  Town— Dinner  at  the  Governor's— The  Pains  of  Royalty— 
A  Salute  to  the  American  Flag— Departure, 200 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Fortunate  Travel— The  America— Ethiopian  Scenery— The  Atbara  River— Darner A 

Melon  Patch— Agriculture— The  Inhabitants— Change  of  Scenery— The  First  Hip- 
popotamus—Crocodiles— Effect  of  My  Map— The  Rais  and  Sailors— Arabs  in  Ethio- 
pia—Ornamental Scars— Beshir— The  Slave  Bakhita— We  Approach  Meroe,  210 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Arrival  at  Bedjerowiyeh— The  Ruins  of  Meroe— Walk  Across  the  Plain— The  Pyra- 
mids—Character of  their  Masonry— The  Tower  and  Vault— Finding  of  the  Trea- 
sure—The Second  Group— More  Ruins -Site  of  the  City— Number  of  the  Pyramids 
—The  Antiquity  of  xMeroe— Ethiopian  and  Egyptian  Civilization— The  Caucasian 
Race — Reflections, 22V) 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Landscapes  of  Ethiopia— My  Evenings  beside  the  Nile— Experiences  of  the  Ara- 
bian Nights— The  Story  of  the  Sultana  Zobeide  and  the  Wood-cutter-  Character 
of  the  Arabian  Tales— Keligion. 238 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Arrival  at  Shendy— Appearance  of  the  Town  -Shendy  in  Former  Days— "We  Touch  at 
El  Metemraa— The  Nile  beyond  Shendy— Flesh  Diet  vs.  Vegetables— Wo  Escape 
Shipwreck — A  Walk  on  Shore — The  Rapids  of  Derreira — Djebel  Gerri — The 
Twelfth  Cataract — Night  in  the  Mountain  Gorge — Crocodiles — A  Drink  of  Marecsa 
— My  Birth-Day — Fair  Wind — Approach  to  Khartoum — The  Junction  of  the  Two 
Niles— Appearance  of  the  City— Wo  Drop  Anchor, 258 


CHAPTER  XXL 

The  American  Flag — A  Rencontre — Search  for  a  House — The  Austrian  Consular  Agent 
— Description  of  his  Residence — The  Garden — The  Menagerie— Barbaric  Pomp 
and  State — Picturesque  Character  of  the  Society  of  Khartoum — Foundation  and 
Growth  of  the  City — Its  Appearance — The  Population— Un healthiness  of  the  Cli- 
mate— Assembly  of  Ethiopian  Chieftains— Yisit  of  Two  Shekhs — Dinner  and  Fire- 
works  270 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Visit  to  the  Catholic  Mission— Dr.  Knoblecher,  the  Apostolic  Vicar— Moussa  Bey— 
Visit  to  Lattif  Pasha— Reception— The  Pasha's  Palace— Lions— We  Dine  with  the 
Pasha— Ceremonies  upon  the  Occasion— Music— The  Guests — The  Franks  in  Khar- 
toum— Dr.  Peney — Visit  to  the  Sultana  Nasra— An  Ethiopian  Dinner — Character 
of  the  Sultana, 280 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Recent  Explorations  of  Soudan— Limit  of  the  Tropical  Rains— The  Conquest  of  Ethio- 
pia—Countries Tributary  to  Egypt— The  District  of  Takka— Expedition  of  Moussa 
Bey — Tho  Atbara  River — The  Abyssinian  Frontier — Christian  Ruins  of  Abou- 
Harass— The  Kingdom  of  Sennaar— Kordofan— Dar-Fur— The  Princess  of  Dar- 
Fur  in  Khartoum— Her  Visit  to  Dr.  Reitz— The  Unknown  Countries  of  Central 
Africa,  2U7 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Excursions  around  Khartoum— A  Race  into  the  Desert— Euphorbia  Forest— Tho 
Banks  of  tho  Blue  Nile— A  Saint's  Grave— The  Confluence  of  the  Two  Niles— Mag- 
nitude  of  the  Nile— Comparative  Size  of  the  Rivers— Their  Names— Desire  to  pene- 
trate further  into  Africa— Attractions  of  the  White  Nile— Engage  the  Boat  John 
Ledyard— Former  Restrictions  against  exploring  the  River— Visit  to  the  Pasha— 
Despotic  Hospitality— Achmet's  Misgivings— We  set  sail,  .        .        .        309 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


Departure  from  Khartoum— We  enter  the  White  Nile— Mirage  and  Landscape— The 
Consul  returns— Progress— Loss  of  the  Flag— Scenery  of  the  Shores — Territory  of 
the  Hassaniyehs — Curious  Conjugal  Custom — Multitudes  of  Water  Fowls — Increas- 
ed Eichness  of  Vegetation — Apes — Sunset  on  the  White  Nile — We  reach  the  King- 
dom of  tho  Shillook  Negroes, 320 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Morning — Magnificence  of  the  Island  Scenery — Birds  and  Hippopotami — Flight  of  the 
Natives— The  Island  of  Aba— Signs  of  Population-  A  Band  of  Warriors— Tho  Shekh 
and  the  Sultan— A  Treaty  of  Peace — The  Kobe  of  Honor — Suspicions— We  walk  to 
the  Village — Appearance  of  the  Shillooks — The  Village — The  Sultan  gives  Audience 
— Women  and  Children — Ornaments  of  the  Natives — My  Watch— A  Jar  of  Honey — 
Suspicion  and  Alarm — The  Shillook  and  the  Sultan's  Black  Wife — Character  of  the 
Shillooks— The  Land  of  the  Lotus— Population  of  the  Shillook  Kingdom— The  Turn- 
ing Point — A  View  from  the  Mast-Head,  320 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Explorations  of  the  White  Nile— Dr.  Knoblecher's  Voyage  in  1849-50— The  Lands 
of  the  Shillooks  and  Dinkas— Intercourse  with  the  Natives— Wild  Elephants  and 
Giraffes— The  Sobat  Eiver— The  Country  of  Marshes— The  Gazelle  Lake— The 
Nuehrs — Interview  with  the  Chief  of  the  Kyks — The  Zhir  Country — Land  of  the 
Baris— Tho  Rapids  Surmounted— Arrival  at  Logwek,  in  Lat.  4°  10y  North— Panora- 
ma from  Mt.  Logwek— Sources  of  the  White  Nile— Character  of  the  Bari  Nation- 
Return  of  the  Expedition— Fascination  of  the  Nile,  845 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

We  leave  the  Islands  of  the  Shillooks— Tropical  Jungles— A  Whim  and  its  Consequen- 
ces—Lairs of  Wild  Beasts — Arrival  among  the  Hassaniyehs — A  Village — The  Wo- 
man and  the  Sultan — A  Dance  of  Salutation — My  Arab  Sailor — A  Swarthy  Cleopa- 
tra— Salutation  of  the  Saint — Miraculous  Fishing — Night  View  of  a  Hassaniyeh  Vil- 
lage—Wad Shellayeh— A  Shekh's  Residence— An  Ebony  Cherub— The  Cook  At- 
tempts Suicide — Evening  Landscape — The  Natives  and  their  Cattle — A  Boyish 
Governor — We  reach  Khartoum  at  Midnight,  ,  356 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Departure  of  Abd-el  Kader  Bey— An  Illuminated  Picture— The  Breakfast  on  the 
Island— Horsemanship— The  Pasha's  Stories— Departure  of  Lattif  Effendi's  Expedi- 
tion—A Night  on  the  Sand— Abou-Sin,  and  his  Shukoree  Warriors— Change  in  the 
Climate— Intense  Heat  and  its  Effects— Preparations  for  Returning— A  Money 
Transaction— Farewell  Visits— A  Dinner  with  Royal  Guests— Jolly  King  Dyaab— 
A  Shillook  Dance — Reconciliation— Taking  Leave  of  my  Pets,  ...  872 
1* 


10  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  Commerce  of  Soudan — Avenues  of  Trade — The  Merchants — Character  of  the  Im- 
ports—Speculation— The  Gum  Trade  of  Kordofan— The  Ivory  Trade — Abuses  of  the 
Government— The  Traffic  in  Slaves— Prices  of  Slaves— Their  Treatment,      .        3S4 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Farewell  Breakfast— Departure  from  Khartoum— Parting  with  Dr.  Reitz— A  Predic- 
tion and  its  Fulfilment — Dreary  Appearance  of  the  Country — Lions— Bury  in  g- 
G rounds— The  Natives— My  Kababish  Guide,  Mohammed— Character  of  the  Arabs 
—Habits  of  Deception— My  Dromedary— Mutton  and  Mareesa— A  Soudan  Ditty— 
The  Rowyan— Akaba  Gerri— Heat  and  Scenery— An  Altercation  with  the  Guide  — 
A  Mishap — A  Landscape — Tedious  Approach  to  EI  Metemma— Appearance  of  the 
Town— Preparations  for  the  Desert— Meeting  Old  Acquaintances,  .        .        392 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Entering  the  Desert— Character  of  the  Scenery— Wells— Fear  of  the  Arabs— Tiie  La- 
loom  Tree— Effect  of  the  Hot  Wind — Mohammed  overtakes  us — Arab  Endurance — 
An  unpleasant  Bedfellow — Comedy  of  the  Crows — Gazelles — We  encounter  a  Sand- 
storm—The Mountain  of  Thirst— The  Wells  of  Djeckdud— A  Mountain  Pass- 
Desert  Intoxication— Scenery  of  the  Table-land— Bir  Khannik — The  Kababish 
Arabs— Gazelles  again— Ruins  of  an  Ancient  Coptic  Monastery— Distant  View  of  the 
Nile  Valley — Djebel  Berkel— We  come  into  Port, 4'.)G 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Our  whereabouts— Shekh  Mohammed  Abd  e'-Djebal — My  residence  at  Abdom — Cross- 
ing the  River — A  Superb  Landscape — The  Town  of  Merawe — Rido  to  Djebel  Berkel 
— The  Temples  of  Napata — Ascent  of  the  Mountain — Ethiopian  Panorama — Lost 
and  Found — The  Pyramids—  The  Governor  of  Merawe — A  Scene  in  the  Divan — 
The  Shekh  and  I — The  Governor  Dines  with  me — Ruins  of  the  City  of  Napata— 
A  Talk  about  Religions— Engaging  Camels  for  Wadi-Halfa— The  Shekh"s  Parting 
Blessing 421 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Appearance  of  the  Country — Korti — The  Town  of  Ambukol — The  Caravan  reorgan- 
ized— A  Fiery  Ride — We  reach  Edabbe-»-An  Illuminated  Landscape — A  Torment 
— Nubian  Agriculture— Old  Don<;o!a— The  Palace-Mosque  of  the  Nubian  Kings — A 
Panorama  of  Desolation — The  Old  City — Nubian  Gratitude — Another  Sand-Storm 
— A  Dreary  Journey — The  Approach  to  Handak — A  House  of  Doubtful  Character — 
The  Inmates— Journey  to  El  Ordee  (New  Dongola)— Khoorshid  Bey— Appearance 
of  the  Town, 438 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

"We  start  for  Wadi-Halfa— The  Plague  of  Black   Gnats— Mohammed's  Coffin— The 
Island   of  Argo— Market-Day— Scenery  of   the    Nile— Entering  Dar  El-Mahass— 


CONTENTS.  11 


Ruined  Fortresses— Tlie  Camel-Men— A  Rocky  Chaos— Fakir  Bender— The  Akaba 
of  Mabass— Camp  in  the  Wilderness — The  Charm  of  Desolation — The  Nile  again— 
Pilgrims  from  Dar-Fur — The  Struggle  of  the  Nile— An  Arcadian  Landscape — The 
Temple  of  Soleb— Dar  Sukkot— The  Land  of  Dates— The  Island  of  Sai— A  Sea  of 
Sand— Cainp  by  the  River — A  Hyena  Barbecue, 457 

CHAPTER  XXXYI. 

The  Batn  El-IIadjar,  or  Belly  of  Stone — Ancient  Granite  Quarries — The  Village  of 
Dal — A  Ruined  Fortress — A  Wilderness  of  Stones — The  Hot  Springs  of  Ukme — A 
Windy  Night— A  Dreary  Day  in  the  Desert— The  Shekh's  Camel  Fails— Descent  to 
Samneh — The  Temple  and  Cataract— Meersheh— The  Sale  of  Abou-Sin— We 
Emerge  from  the  Belly  of  Stone—  \  Kababish  Caravan — The  Rock  of  Abou-Seer— 
View  of  the  Second  Cataract— We  reach  Wadi-IIalfa — Selling  my  Dromedaries- 
Farewell  to  Abou-Sin — Thanksgiving  on  the  Ferry-boat — Parting  with  the  Camel- 
men,      471 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Wadi  Haifa— A  Boat  for  Assouan— We  Embark  on  the  Nile  Again— An  Egyptian 
Dream— The  Temples  of  Abou-Simbel— The  Smaller  Temple— The  Colossi  of 
Eemeses  IT. — Vulgarity,  of  Travellers— Entering  the  Great  Temple— My  Impres- 
sions—Character of  Abou-Simbel— The  Smaller  Chambers— The  Races  of  Men— 
Remeses  and  the  Captive  Kings — Departure, 486 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

I  Lose  my  Sunshine,  and  Regain  it— Nubian  Scenery— Derr— The  Temple  of  Amada 
—Mysterious  Rappings— Familiar  Scenes— Halt  at  Korosko— Escape  from  Ship- 
wreck—The  Temple  of  Sebooa— Chasing  other  Boats— Temple  of  Djerf  Hossayn — 
A  Backsheesh  Experiment— Kalabshee— Temple  of  Dabod— We  reach  the  Egyp- 
tian Frontier, 495 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Assouan— A  Boat  for  Cairo— English  Tourists— A  Head-wind— Ophthalmia— Esneh— 
A  Mummied  Princess— AH  Effendi's  Stories— A  Donkey  Afrite— Arrival  at  Luxor 
—The  Egyptian  Autumn— A  Day  at  Thebes— Songs  of  the  Sailors— Ali  leaves 
mo— Ride  to  Dendera— Head-winds  again— Visit  to  Tali  tali— The  House  of  Rufaa 
Bey, 5UG 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Biout  in  Harvest-time— A  kind  Englishwoman— A  Slight  Experience  of  Hasheesh— 
The  Calm— Rapid  Progress  down  the  Nile— The  Last  Day  of  the  Voyage— Arri- 
val at  Cairo— Tourists  preparing  for  the  Desert— Parting  with  Achmet— Conclu- 
sion,   517 


JOURNEY   TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA 


CHAPTER     I.- 

INTRODUCTION      TO      AFRICA. 

Arrival  at  Alexandria— The  Landing— My  First  Oriental  Bath — The  City— Prepara- 
tions for  Departure. 

I  left  Smyrna  in  the  Lloyd  steamer,  Conte  Sturmer,  on  the 
first  day  of  November,  1851.  We  passed  the  blue  Sporadic 
Isles — Cos,  and  Rhodes,  and  Karpathos — and  crossing  the 
breadth  of  the  Eastern  Mediterranean,  favored  all  the  way  by 
unruffled  seas,  and  skies  of  perfect  azure,  made  the  pharos  of 
Alexandria  on  the  evening  of  the  3d.  The  entrance  to  the 
harbor  is  a  narrow  and  difficult  passage  through  reefs,  and  no 
vessel  dares  to  attempt  it  at  night,  but  with  the  first  streak  of 
dawn  we  were  boarded  by  an  Egyptian  pilot,  and  the  rising 
sun  lighted  up  for  us  the  white  walls  of  the  city,  the  windmills 
of  the  Ras  el-Tin,  or  Cape  of  Figs,  and  the  low  yellow  sand- 
hills in  which  I  recognized  Africa — for  they  were  prophetic  of 
the  desert  behind  them. 

We  entered  the  old  harbor  between  the  island  of  Pha- 
ros and  the  main  land  (now  connected  by  a  peninsular  strip, 
on   which   the   Frank   quarter  is  built),    soon    after   sunrise, 


14  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

The  water  swarmed  with  boats  before  the  anchor  dropped, 
and  the  Egyptian  health  officer  had  no  sooner  departed 
than  we  were  boarded  by  a  crowd  of  dragomen,  hotel  run- 
ners, and  boatmen.  A  squinting  Arab,  who  wore  a  white 
dress  and  red  sash,  accosted  me  in  Italian,  offering  to  conduct 
me  to  the  Oriental  Hotel.  A  German  and  a  Smyrniote, 
whose  acquaintance  I  had  made  during  the  voyage,  joined  me 
in  accepting  his  services,  and  we  were  speedily  boated  ashore. 
We  landed  on  a  pile  of  stones,  not  far  from  a  mean-looking 
edifice  called  the  Custom-House.  Many  friends  were  there  to 
welcome  us,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  eagerness  with  which 
they  dragged  us  ashore,  and  the  zeal  with  which  they  pom- 
melled one  another  in  their  generous  efforts  to  take  charge  of 
our  effects.  True,  we  could  have  wished  that  their  faces  had 
been  better  washed,  their  baggy  trousers  less  ragged  and  their 
red  caps  less  greasy,  and  we  were  perhaps  ungrateful  in  allow- 
ing our  Arab  to  rate  them  soundly  and  cuff  the  ears  of  the 
more  obstreperous,  before  our  trunks  and  carpet-bags  could  be 
portioned  among  them.  At  the  Custom-House  we  were  visit- 
ed by  two  dark  gentlemen,  in  turbans  and  black  flowing  robes, 
who  passed  our  baggage  without  scrutiny,  gently  whispering 
in  our  ears,  "  backsheesh" — a  word  which  we  then  heard  for 
the  first  time,  but  which  was  to  be  the  key-note  of  much  of  our 
future  experience.  The  procession  of  porters  was  then  set  in 
motion,  and  we  passed  through  several  streets  of  whitewashed 
two  story  houses,  to  the  great  square  of  the  Frank  quarter, 
which  opened  before  us  warm  and  brilliant  in  the  morning  sun- 
shine. 

The  principal  hotels   and  consulates  front  on  this  square. 
The  architecture  is  Italian,  with  here  and  there  a  dash  of  Sar- 


ALEXANDRIA.  15 

acenic.  in  the  windows  and  doorways,  especially  in  new  build- 
ings. A  small  obelisk  of  alabaster,  a  present  from  Mohammed 
Ali,  stauds  in  the  centre,  on  a  pedestal  which  was  meant  for  a 
fountain,  but  has  no  water.  All  this  I  noted,  as  well  as  a 
crowd  of  donkeys  and  donkey-boys,  and  a  string  of  laden 
camels,  on  our  way  to  the  hotel,  which  we  found  to  be  a  long 
and  not  particularly  clean  edifice,  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
square.  The  English  and  French  steamers  had  just  arrived, 
and  no  rooms  were  to  be  had  until  after  the  departure  of  the 
afternoon  boat  for  Cairo.  Our  dragoman,  who  called  himself 
Ibrahim,  suggested  a  bath  as  the  most  agreeable  means  of 
passing  the  intermediate  time. 

The  clear  sky,  the  temperature  (like  that  of  a  mild  July 
day  at  home),  and  the  novel  interest  of  the  groups  in  the 
streets,  were  sufficient  to  compensate  for  any  annoyance  :  but 
when  we  reached  the  square  of  the  French  Church,  and  saw  a 
garden  of  palm-trees  waving  their  coronals  of  glittering  leaves 
every  thing  else  was  forgotten.  My  German  friend,  who  had 
never  seen  palms,  except  as  starveling  exotics  in  Sorrento  and 
Smyrna,  lifted  his  hands  in  rapture,  and  even  I,  who  had 
heard  tens  of  thousands  rustle  in  the  hot  winds  of  the  Tropics, 
felt  my  heart  leap  as  if  their  beauty  were  equally  new  to  my 
eyes.  For  no  amount  of  experience  can  deprive  the  traveller 
of  that  happy  feeling  of  novelty  which  marks  his  first  day  on 
the  soil  of  a  new  continent.  I  gave  myself  up  wholly  to  its 
inebriation.  Et  ego  in  Africa,  was  the  sum  of  my  thoughts, 
and  I  neither  saw  nor  cared  to  know  the  fact  (which  we  dis- 
covered in  due  time),  that  our  friend  Ibrahim  was  an  arrant 
knave. 

The  bath  to  which  he  conducted  us  was  pronounced   to   he 


16  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

the  finest  in  Alexandria,  the  most  superb  in  all  the  Orient, 
but  it  did  not  at  all  accord  with  our  ideas  of  Eastern  luxury. 
Moreover,  the  bath-keeper  was  his  intimate  friend,  and  would 
bathe  us  as  no  Christians  were  ever  bathed  before.  One  fact 
Ibrahim  kept  to  himself,  which  was,  that  his  intimate  friend 
and  he  shared  the  spoils  of  our  inexperience.  We  were  con- 
ducted to  a  one-story  building,  of  very  unprepossessing  exte- 
rior. As  we  entered  the  low,  vaulted  entrance,  my  ears  wero 
saluted  with  a  dolorous,  groaning  sound,  which  I  at  first  con- 
jectured to  proceed  from  the  persons  undergoing  the  opera- 
tion, but  which  I  afterward  ascertained  was  made  by  a  wheel 
turned  by  a  buffalo,  employed  in  raising  water  from  the  well. 
In  a  sort  of  basement  hall,  smelling  of  soap-suds,  and  with  a 
large  tank  of  dirty  water  in  the  centre,  we  were  received  by 
the  bath-keeper,  who  showed  us  into  a  room  containing  three 
low  divans  with  pillows.  Here  we  disrobed,  and  Ibrahim, 
who  had  procured  a  quantity  of  napkins,  enveloped  our  heads 
in  turbans  and  swathed  our  loins  in  a  simple  Adamite  gar- 
ment. Heavy  wooden  clogs  were  attached  to  our  feet,  and  an 
animated  bronze  statue  led  the  way  through  gloomy  passages, 
sometimes  hot  and  steamy,  sometimes  cold  and  soapy,  and 
redolent  of  any  thing  but  the  spicy  odors  of  Araby  the  Blest, 
to  a  small  vaulted  chamber,  lighted  by  a  few  apertures  in  the 
ceiling.  The  moist  heat  was  almost  suffocating ;  hot  water 
flowed  over  the  stone  floor,  and  the  stone  benches  we  sat  upon 
were  somewhat  cooler  than  kitchen  stoves.  The  bronze  indi- 
vidual left  us,  and  very  soon,  sweating  at  every  pore,  we  began 
to  think  of  the  three  Hebrews  in  the  furnace.  Our  comfort 
was  not  increased  by  the  groaning  sound  which  we  still  heard, 
and  by  seeing,  through  a  hole  in  the  door,  five  or  six  naked 


MF    FIRST    ORIENTAL    BATH.  17 

figures  lying  motionless  along  the  edge  of  a  steaming  vat,  ift 
the  outer  room. 

Presently  our  statue  returned  with  a  pair  of  coarse  hair- 
gloves  on  his  hands.  He  snatched  off  our  turbans,  and  then, 
seizing  one  of  my  friends  by  the  shoulder  as  if  he  had  been  a 
sheep,  began  a  sort  of  rasping  operation  upon  his  bach.  This 
process,  varied  occasionally  by  a  dash  of  scalding  water,  was 
extended  to  each  of  our  three  bodies,  and  we  were  then  suf- 
fered to  rest  awhile.  A  course  of  soap-suds  followed,  which 
was  softer  and  more  pleasant  in  its  effect,  except  when  he  took 
us  by  the  hair,  and  holding  back  our  heads,  scrubbed  our  faces 
most  lustily,  as  if  there  were  no  such  things  as  eyes,  noses  and 
mouths.  By  this  time  we  had  reached  such  a  salamandrine 
temperature  that  the  final  operation  of  a  dozen  pailfuls  of  hot 
water  poured  over  the  head,  was  really  delightful  After  a 
plunge  in  a  seething  tank,  we  were  led  back  to  our  chamber 
and  enveloped  in  loose  muslin  robes.  Turbans  were  bound  on 
our  heads  and  we  lay  on  the  divans  to  recover  from  the  lan- 
guor of  the  bath.  The  change  produced  by  our  new  costume 
was  astonishing.  The  stout  German  became  a  Turkish  niol- 
lah,  the  young  Smyrniote  a  picturesque  Persian,  and  I — I 
scarcely  know  what,  but,  as  my  friends  assured  me,  a  much 
better  Moslem  than  Frank.  Cups  of  black  coffee,  and  pipes 
of  inferior  tobacco  completed  the  process,  and  in  spite  of  the 
lack  of  cleanliness  and  superabundance  of  fleas,  we  went  forth 
lighter  in  body,  and  filled  with  a  calm  content  which  nothing 
seemed  able  to  disturb. 

After  a  late  breakfast  at  the  hotel,  we  sallied  out  for  a  sur- 
vey of  the  city.  The  door  was  beleaguered  by  the  donkeys 
and  their  attendant  drivers,  who  hailed  us  in  all  languages  at 


18  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

once,  "Venez,  Monsieur!"  "Take  a  ride,  sir ;  here  is  a 
good  donkey!"  "  Schasner  Eself"  "  Prendete  il  mio  bur- 
rico  !  " — and  you  are  made  the  vortex  of  a  whirlpool  of  don- 
keys. The  one-eyed  donkey-boys  fight,  the  donkeys  kick,  and 
there  is  no  rest  till  you  have  bestridden  one  of  the  little 
beasts.  The  driver  then  gives  his  tail  a  twist  and  his  rump  a 
thwack,  and  you  are  carried  off  in  triumph.  The  animal  is  so 
small  that  you  seem  the  more  silly  of  the  two,  when  you  have 
mounted,  but  after  he  has  carried  you  for  an  hour  in  a  rapid 
gallop,  you  recover  your  dignity  in  your  respect  for  him. 

The  spotless  blue  of  the  sky  and  the  delicious  elasticity  of 
the  air  were  truly  intoxicating,  as  we  galloped  between  gar- 
dens of  date-trees,  laden  with  ripe  fruit,  to  the  city  gate,  and 
through  it  into  a  broad  road,  fringed  with  acacias,  leading  to 
the  Mahmoudieh  canal.  But  to  the  south,  on  a  rise  of  dry, 
sandy  soil,  stood  the  Pillar  of  Diocletian — not  of  Pompey, 
whose  name  it  bears.  It  is  a  simple  column,  ninety-eight  feet 
in  height,  but  the  shaft  is  a  single  block  of  red  granite,  and 
stands  superbly  against  the  back-ground  of  such  a  sky  and 
such  a  sea.  It  is  the  only  relic  of  the  ancient  Alexandria 
worthy  of  its  fame,  but  you  could  not  wish  for  one  more  im- 
posing and  eloquent.  The  glowing  white  houses  of  the  town, 
the  minarets,  the  palms  and  the  acacias  fill  the  landscape,  but 
it  stands  apart  from  them,  in  the  sand,  and  looks  only  to  the 
sea  and  the  desert. 

In  the  evening  we  took  donkeys  again  and  rode  out  of  the 
town  to  a  cafe  on  the  banks  of  the  canal.  A  sunset  of  burn- 
ing rose  and  orange  sank  over  the  desert  behind  Pompey's 
Pillar,  and  the  balmiest  of  breezes  stole  towards  us  from  the 
yea,  through  palm  gardens.     A  Swiss  gentleman,  M.  de  Gon- 


THE    DONKEY-BOY.  It) 

zenbach,  whose  kindness  I  shall  always  gratefully  remember 
accompanied  us.  As  we  sat  under  the  acacias,  sipping  the 
black  Turkish  coffee,  the  steamer  for  Cairo  passed,  disturbing 
the  serenity  of  the  air  with  its  foul  smoke,  and  marring  the 
delicious  repose  of  the  landscape  in  such  .wise,  that  we  vowed 
we  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  steam  so  long  as  we  voyaged 
on  the  Nile.  Our  donkey-drivers  patiently  held  the  bridles 
of  our  long-eared  chargers  till  we  were  ready  to  return.  It 
was  dark,  and  not  seeing  at  first  my  attendant,  a  little  one- 
eyed  imp,  I  called  at  random  :  "  Abdallah  !  "  This,  it  hap- 
pened, was  actually  his  name,  and  he  came  trotting  up,  hold- 
ing the  stirrup  ready  for  me  to  mount.  The  quickness  with 
which  these  young  Arabs  pick  up  languages,  is  truly  astonish- 
ing. "  Come  vi  chiamate  ?  "  (what's  your  name  ?)  I  asked 
of  Abdallah,  as  we  rode  homeward.  The  words  were  new  to 
him,  but  I  finally  made  him  understand  their  meaning,  where- 
upon he  put  his  knowledge  into  practice  by  asking  me  :  "  Come 
vi  chiamate?"  "Abbas  Pasha,"  I  replied.  "Oh,  well," 
was  his  prompt  rejoinder,  "  if  you  are  Abbas  Pasha,  then  I  am 
Seyd  Pasha,"  The  next  morning  he  was  at  the  door  with  his 
donkey,  which  I  fully  intended  to  mount,  but  became  entan- 
gled in  a  wilderness  of  donkeys,  out  of  which  Ibrahim  extri- 
cated me  by  hoisting  me  on  another  animal.  As  I  rode  away, 
I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  little  fellow,  crying  lustily  over  his 
disappointment. 

We  three  chance  companions  fraternized  so  agreeably  that 
we  determined  to  hire  a  boat  for  Cairo,  in  preference  to  waiting 
for  the  next  steamer.  "We  accordingly  rode  over  to  the  Mah- 
moudieh  Canal,  accompanied  by  Ibrahim,  to  inspect  the  barks. 
Like  all  dragomen,  Ibrahim  had  his  private  preferences,  and 


20  JOURNEY    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

conducted  us  on  board  a  boat  belonging  to  a  friend  of  his,  a 
grizzly  rais,  or  captain.  The  craft  was  a  small  kangia,  with 
a  large  lateen  sail  at  the  bow  and  a  little  one  at  the  stern.  It 
was  not  very  new,  but  looked  clean,  and  the  rais  demanded 
three  hundred  piastres  for  the  voyage.  The  piastre  is  the  cur- 
rent coin  of  the  East.  Its  value  is  fluctuating,  and  always 
higher  in  Egypt  than  in  Syria  and  Turkey,  but  may  be  assum- 
ed at  about  five  cents,  or  twenty  to  the  American  dollar.  Be- 
fore closing  the  bargain,  we  asked  the  advice  of  M.  de  Gron- 
zenbach,  who  immediately  despatched  his  Egyptian  servant 
and  engage-d  a  boat  at  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  piastres. 
Every  thing  was  to  be  in  readiness  for  our  departure  on  the 
following  evening. 


FIRST    VOYAGE    ON    THE    NILE.  21 


CHAPTER    II. 

FIRST      VOYAGE      ON      THE      NILE. 

Departure— The  Kangia— The  Egyptian  Climate— The  Mahmoudieh  Canal— Entrance 
into  the  Nile — Pleasures  of  the  Journey—  Studying  Arabic — Sight  of  the  Pyramids 
--The  Barrage — Approach  to  Cairo. 

We  paid  a  most  exorbitant  bill  at  tbe  Oriental  Hotel,  and 
started  on  donkeyback  for  our  boat,  at  sunset.  Our  prepara- 
tions for  the  voyage  consisted  of  bread,  rice,  coffee,  sugar,  but- 
ter and  a  few  other  comestibles ;  an  earthen  furnace  and  char- 
coal ;  pots  and  stew-pans,  plates,  knives  and  forks,  wooden 
spoons,  coffee-cups  and  water-jars  ;  three  large  mats  of  cane- 
leaves,  for  bedding ;  and  for  luxuries,  a  few  bottles  of  claret, 
and  a  gazelle-skin  stuffed  with  choice  Latakieh  tobacco.  "We 
were  prudent  enough  to  take  a  supper  with  us  from  the  hotel, 
and  not  trust  to  our  own  cooking  the  first  night  on  board. 

We  waited  till  dark  on  the  banks  of  the  Canal  before  our 
baggage  appeared.  There  is  a  Custom-House  on  all  sides  of 
Alexandria,  and  goods  going  out  must  pay  as  well  as  goods  com- 
ing in.  The  gate  was  closed,  and  nothing  less  than  the  silver 
oil  of  a  dollar  greased  its  hinges  sufficiently  for  our  cart  to  pass 
through.  But  what  was  our  surprise  on  reaching  the  boat,  to 
find  the  same  kangia  and  the  same  grizzly  rai's,  who  had  pre- 
viously demanded  three  hundred  piastres.     He  seemed  no  less 


22  JOURNEY    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

astonished  than  we,  for  the  bargain  had  been  made  by  a  third 
party,  and  I  believe  he  bore  us  a  grudge  during  the  rest  of  the 
voyao-e.  The  contract  placed  the  boat  at  our  disposition ;  so 
we  went  on  board  immediately,  bade  adieu  to  the  kind  friends 
who  had  accompanied  us,  and  were  rowed  down  the  Canal  in 
the  full  glow  of  African  moonlight. 

Some  account  of  our  vessel  and  crew  will  not  be  out  of 
place  here.  The  boat  was  about  thirty-five  feet  in  length,  with 
a  short  upright  mast  in  the  bow,  supporting  a  lateen  sail  fifty 
feet  long.  Against  the  mast  stood  a  square  wooden  box,  lined 
with  clay,  which  served  as  a  fireplace  for  cooking.  The  mid- 
dle boards  of  the  deck  were  loose  and  allowed  entrance  to  the 
hold,  where  out-  baggage  was  stowed.  The  sailors  also  lifted 
them  and  sat  on  the  cross-beams,  with  their  feet  on  the  shal- 
low keel,  when  they  used  the  oars.  The  cabin,  which  occu- 
pied the  stern  of  the  boat,  was  built  above  and  below  the  deck, 
so  that  after  stepping  down  into  it  we  could  stand  upright. 
The  first  compartment  contained  two  broad  benches,  with  a 
smaller  chamber  in  the  rear,  allowing  just  enough  room,  in  all, 
for  three  persons  to  sleep.  We  spread  our  mats  on  the 
boards,  placed  carpet-bags  for  pillows  (first  taking  out  the 
books),  and  our  beds  were  made.  Ibrahim  slept  on  the  deck, 
against  the  cabin-door. 

Our  rais,  or  captain,  was  an  old  Arab,  with  a  black,  wrink- 
led face,  a  grizzly  beard  and  a  tattered  blue  robe.  There  were 
five  sailors — one  with  crooked  eyes,  one  with  a  moustache,  two 
copper-colored  Fellahs,  and  one  tall  Nubian,  black  as  the 
Egyptian  darkness.  The  three  latter  were  our  favorites,  and 
more  cheerful  and  faithful  creatures  I  never  saw.  One  of  the 
Fellahs  sang  nasal  love-songs  the  whole  day  long,  and  was  al- 


EVENING     ON    THE    CANAL.  23 

ways  foremost  in  the  everlasting  refrain  of  "  haylee-sah  '"  and 
uya  salaam/"  with  which  the  Egyptian  sailors  row  and  tow 
and  pole  their  boats  against  the  current.  Before  we  left  the 
boat  we  had  acquired  a  kind  of  affection  for  these  three  men. 
while  the  rai's,  with  his  grim  face  and  croaking  voice,  grew  more 
repulsive  every  day. 

We  spread  a  mat  on  the  deck,  lighted  our  lantern  and  sat 
down  to  supper,  while  a  gentle  north  wind  slowly  carried  our 
boat  along  through  shadows  of  palms  and  clear  spaces  of  moon- 
light. Ibrahim  filled  the  shebdoks,  and  for  four  hours  we  sat 
in  the  open  air,  which  seemed  to  grow  sweeter  and  purer  with 
every  breath  we  inhaled.  We  were  a  triad — the  sacred  num- 
ber— and  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  find  another  triad  so 
harmonious  md  yet  differing  so  strongly  in  its  parts.  One 
was  a  Landivirtli  from  Saxe-Coburg,  a  man  of  forty-five,  tall, 
yet  portly  in  person,  and  accustomed  to  the  most  comfortable 
living  and  the  best  society  in  Germany.  Another  was  a  Smyr- 
niote  merchant,  a  young  man  of  thirty,  to  whom  all  parts  of 
Europe  were  familiar,  who  spoke  eight  languages,  and  who 
within  four  months  had  visited  Ispahan  and  the  Caucasus.  Of 
the  third  it  behooves  me  not  to  speak,  save  that  he  was  from 
the  New  World,  and  that  he  differed  entirely  from  his  friends 
in  stature,  features,  station  in  life,  and  every  thing  else  but  mu- 
tual goodfellowship.  "  Ah,"  said  the  German  in  the  fulness 
of  his  heart,  as  we  basked  in  the  moonlight,  ':  what  a  heavenly 
air  !  what  beautiful  palms  !  and  this  wonderful  repose  in  all 
Nature,  which  I  never  felt  before  !"  "  It  is  better  than  the 
gardens  of  Ispahan,"  added  the  Smyrniote.  Nor  did  I  deceive 
them  when  I  said  that  for  many  months  past  I  had  known  no 
mood  of  mind  so  peaceful  and  grateful. 


21  JOURNEY    IN    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

We  rose  somewhat  stiff  from  our  hard  beds,  but  a  cup  of 
coffee  and  the  fresh  morning  air  restored  the  amenity  of  the 
voyage.  The  banks  of  the  Canal  are  flat  and  dull,  and  the 
country  through  which  we  passed,  after  leaving  the  marshy 
brink  of  Lake  Mareotis,  was  in  many  places  still  too  wet  from 
the  recent  inundation  to  be  ploughed  for  the  winter  crops.  It  is 
a  dead  level  of  rich  black  loam,  and  produces  rice,  maize,  sugar- 
cane and  millet.  Here  and  there  the  sand  has  blown  over  it, 
and  large  spaces  are  given  up  to  a  sort  of  coarse,  wiry  grass. 
The  villages  are  miserable  collections  of  mud  huts,  but  the 
date-palms  which  shadow  them  and  the  strings  of  camels  that 
slowly  pass  to  and  fro,  render  even  their  unsightliness  pictu- 
resque. In  two  or  three  places  we  passed  mud  machines,  driven 
by  steam,  for  the  purpose  of  cleaning  the  Canal.  Ropes  were 
stretched  across  the  channel  on  both  sides,  and  a  large  number 
of  trading  boats  were  obliged  to  halt,  although  the  wind  was 
very  favorable.  The  barrier  was  withdrawn  for  us  Franks,  and 
the  courteous  engineer  touched  his  tarboosh  in  reply  to  our 
Habitations,  as  we  shot  through. 

Towards  noon  we  stopped  at  a  village,  and  the  Asian  went 
ashore  with  Ibrahim  to  buy  provisions,  while  the  European 
walked  ahead  with  his  fowling-piece,  to  shoot  wild  ducks  for 
dinner.  The  American  stayed  on  board  and  studied  an  Arabic 
vocabulary.  Presently  Ibrahim  appeared  with  two  fowls,  two 
pigeons,  a  pot  of  milk  and  a  dozen  eggs.  The  Asian  set  about 
preparing  breakfast,  and  showed  himself  so  skilful  that  our 
bark  soon  exhaled  the  most  savory  odors.  When  we  picked 
up  our  European  he  had  only  two  hawks  to  offer  us,  but  we 
gave  him  in  return  a  breakfast  which  he  declared  perfect.  We 
ate  on  deck,  seated  on  a  mat ;  a  pleasant  wind  filled  our  sails, 


ATFEH.  25 

and  myriads  of  swallows  circled  and  twittered  over  our  heads 
in  the  cloudless  air.  The  calm,  contemplative  state  produced 
by  the  coffee  and  pipes  which  Ibrahim  brought  us,  lasted  the 
whole  afternoon,  and  the  villages,  the  cane-fields,  the  Moslem 
oratories,  the  wide  level  of  the  Delta  and  the  distant  mounds 
of  forgotten  cities,  passed  before  our  eyes  like  the  pictures  of 
a  dream.  Only  one  of  these  pictures  marred  the  serenity  of 
our  minds.  It  was  an  Arab  burying-ground,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Canal — a  collection  of  heaps  of  mud,  baked  in  the  sun. 
At  the  head  and  foot  of  one  of  the  most  recent,  sat  two  wo- 
men— paid  mourners — who  howled  and  sobbed,  in  long,  piteous, 
despairing  cries,  which  were  most  painful  to  hear.  I  should 
never  "have  imagined  that  any  thing  but  the  keenest  grief  could 
teach  such  heart-breaking  sounds. 

When  I  climbed  the  bank  at  sunset,  for  a  walk,  the  minarets 
of  Atfeh,  on  the  Nile,  were  visible.  Two  rows  of  acacias, 
planted  along  the  Canal,  formed  a  pleasant  arcade,  through 
which  we  sailed,  to  the  muddy  excrescences  of  the  town.  The 
locks  were  closed  for  the  night,  and  we  were  obliged  to  halt, 
which  gave  us  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  an  Arabic  marriage 
procession.  The  noise  of  two  wooden  drums  and  a  sort  of  life 
announced  the  approach  of  the  bride,  who,  attended  by  her 
relatives,  came  down  the  bank  from  the  mud-ovens  above.  She 
was  closely  veiled,  but  the  Arabs  crowded  around  to  get  a  peep 
at  her  face.  No  sooner  had  the  three  Franks  approached,  than 
she  was  doubly  guarded  and  hurried  off  to  the  house  of  her  in- 
tended husband.  Some  time  afterwards  I  ascended  the  bank 
to  have  a  nearer  view  of  the  miserable  hovels,  but  was  received 
with  such  outcries  and  menacing  gestures,  that  I  made  a  slow 
and  dignified  retreat.  We  visited,  however,  the  house  of  the 
2 


20  JOURNEY  IN  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

bridegroom's  father,  where  twenty  or  thirty  Arabs,  seated  on 
the  ground,  were  singing  an  epithalamium,  to  which  they  kept 
time  by  clapping  their  hands. 

Next  morning,  while  our  rai's  was  getting  his  permit  to  pass 
the  locks  (for  which  four  official  signatures  and  a  fee  of  thirty 
piastres  are  necessary),  we  visited  the  bazaar,  and  purchased 
long  tubes  of  jasmine-wood  for  our  pipes,  and  vegetables  for 
our  kitchen.  On  all  such  occasions  we  detailed  Seyd,  the  tall 
Nubian,  whose  ebony  face  shone  resplendent  under  a  snow-whito 
turban,  to  be  our  attendant.  .  The  stately  gravity  with  which 
he  walked  behind  us,  carrying  bread  and  vegetables,  was  wor- 
thy the  pipe-bearer  of  a  Sultan.  By  this  time  we  had  installed 
the  Asian  as  cook,  and  he  very  cheerfully  undertook  the  service. 
We  soon  discovered  that  the  skill  of  Ibrahim  extended  no  fur- 
ther than  to  the  making  of  a  pilaff  and  the  preparation  of  coffee. 
Moreover  his  habits  and  appearance  were  not  calculated  to  make 
us  relish  his  handiwork.  The  naivete  with  which  he  took  the 
wash-basin  to  make  soup  in,  and  wiped  our  knives  and  forks  on 
his  own  baggy  pantaloons,  would  have  been  very  amusing  if  we 
had  not  been  interested,  parties.  The  Asian  was  one  day 
crumbling  some  loaf  sugar  with  a  hammer,  when  Ibrahim,  who 
had  been  watching  him,  suddenly  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  min- 
gled pity  and  contempt,  "  that's  not  the  way  !  "  Thereupon  he 
took  up  some  of  the  lumps,  and  wrapped  them  in  one  corner  of 
his  long  white  shirt,  which  he  thrust  into  his  mouth,  and  after 
crushing  the  sugar  between  his  teeth,  emptied  it  into  the  bowl 
with  an  air  of  triumph. 

A  whole  squadron  of  boats  was  waiting  at  the  locks,  but 
with  Frankish  impudence,  we  pushed  through  them,  and  took 
our  place  in  the  front  rank.     The  sun  was  intensely  hot,  and 


ENTRANCE    INTO    THE    NILE.  2*7 

we  sweated  and  broiled  for  a  full  hour,  in  the  midst  of  a  hor- 
rible tumult  of  Arabs,  before  the  clumsy  officers  closed  the  last 
gate  on  us  and  let  us  float  forth  on  the  Nile.  It  is  the  west- 
ern, or  Canopic  branch  of  the  river  which  flows  past  Atfeh.  It 
is  not  broader  than  the  Hudson  at  Albany,  but  was  more  mud- 
dy and  slimy  from  its  recent  overflow  than  the  Mississippi  at 
New  Orleans.  Its  water  is  no  less  sweet  and  wholesome  than 
that  of  the  latter  river.  After  leaving  the  monotonous  banks 
of  the  Canal,  the  aspect  of  its  shores,  fringed  with  groves  of 
palm,  was  unspeakably  cheerful  and  inspiring.  On  the  opposite 
side,  the  slender  white  minarets  of  Fooah,  once  a  rich  manu- 
facturing town,  sparkled  in  the  noonday  sun.  A  fresh  north 
wind  from  the  Mediterranean  slowly  pressed  our  boat  against 
the  strong  current,  while  the  heavily-laden  merchant  vessels 
followed  in  our  wake,  their  two  immense  lateen  sails  expanded 
like  the  wings  of  the  Arabian  roc.  We  drank  to  the  glory  of 
old  Father  Nile  in  a  cup  of  his  own  brown  current,  and  then 
called  Ibrahim  to  replenish  the  empty  shebooks.  Those  who 
object  to  tobacco  under  the  form  of  cigars,  or  are  nauseated  by 
the  fumes  of  a  German  meerschaum,  should  be  told  that  the 
Turkish  pipe,  filled  with  Latakieh,  is  quite  another  thing.  The 
aroma,  which  you  inhale  through  a  long  jasmine  tube,  topped 
with  a  soft  amber  mouth-piece,  is  as  fragrant  as  roses  and  re- 
freshing as  ripe  dates.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  atmosphere 
of  celestial  musk  and  amber  which  surrounded  Mahomet,  ac- 
cording to  the  Persian  Chronicles,  was  none  other  than  genuine 
Latakieh,  at  twenty  piastres  the  oka.  One  thing  is  certain, 
that  without  the  capacity  to  smoke  a  shebook,  no  one  can  taste 
the  true  flavor  of  the  Orient. 

An  hour  or  two  after  sunset  the  wind  fell,  and  for  the  rest 


28  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

of  the  night  our  men  tracked  the  boat  slowly  forward,  singing 
cheerily  as  they  tugged  at  the  long  tow-rope.  The  Asian 
spread  on  the  deck  his  Albanian  capote,  the  European  his  am- 
ple travelling  cloak,  and  the  representatives  of  three  Conti- 
nents, travelling  in  the  fourth,  lay  on  their  backs  enjoying  the 
moonlight,  the  palms,  and  more  than  all,  the  perfect  silence  and 
repose.  With  every  day  of  our  journey  I  felt  more  deeply  and 
gratefully  this  sense  of  rest.  Under  such  a  glorious  sky,  no 
disturbance  seemed  possible.  It  was  of  little  consequence 
whether  the  boat  went  forward  or  backward,  whether  we  struck 
on  a  sand-bar  or  ploughed  the  water  under  a  full  head  of  wind; 
every  thing  was  right.  My  conscience  made  me  no  reproach  for 
such  a  lazy  life  In  America  we  live  too  fast  and  work  too 
hard,  I  thought .  shall  I  not  know  what  Rest  is,  once  before  I 
die?  The  European  said  to  me  naively,  one  day:  "I  am  a 
little  surprised,  but  very  glad,  that  no  one  of  us  has  yet  spoken 
of  European  politics."  Europe  !  I  had  forgotten  that  such  a 
land  existed :  and  as  for  America,  it  seemed  very  dim  and 
distant. 

Sometimes  I  varied  this  repose  by  trying  to  pick  up  the 
language.  Wilkinson's  Vocabulary  and  Capt.  Hayes's  Gram- 
mar did  me  great  service,  and  after  I  had  tried  a  number  of 
words  with  Ibrahim,  to  get  the  pronunciation,  I  made  bolder 
essays.  One  day  when  the  sailors  were  engaged  in  a  most 
vociferous  discussion,  I  broke  upon  them  with  :  "  What  is  all 
this  noise  about  ?  stop  instantly  ! "  The  effect  was  instantane- 
ous ;  the  men  were  silent,  and  Seyd,  turning  up  his  eyes  in 
wonder,  cried  out :  "  Wallah  !  the  Howadji  talks  Arabic ! " 
The  two  copper-faced  Fellahs  thought  it  very  amusing,  and 
every  new  word  I  learned  sufficed  to  set  them  laughing  for  half 


SCENERY    OF    THE    DELTA.  29 

an  hour.  I  called  out  to  a  fisherman,  seated  on  the  bank :  "  0 
Fisherman,  have  you  any  fish?"  and  he  held  up  a  string  of 
them  and  made  answer  :  "  0  Howadji,  I  have."  This  solemn 
form  of  address,  which  is  universal  in  Arabic,  makes  the  lan- 
guage very  piquant  to  a  student. 

During  our  second  night  on  the  river,  we  passed  the  site 
of  ancient  Sai's,  one  of  the  most  renowned  of  Egyptian  cities, 
which  has  left  nothing  but  a  few  shapeless  mounds.  The  coun- 
try was  in  many  places  still  wet  from  the  inundation,  which 
was  the  largest  that  had  occurred  for  many  years.  The  Fel- 
lahs were  ploughing  for  wheat,  with  a  single  buffalo  geared  to  a 
sharp  pole,  which  scratched  up  the  soil  to  the  depth  of  three 
inches.  Fields  of  maize  and  sugar-cane  were  frequent,  and  I 
noticed  also  some  plantations  of  tobacco,  millet,  and  a  species 
of  lupin,  which  is  cultivated  for  its  beans.  The  only  vegetables 
we  found  for  sale  in  the  villages,  were  onions,  leeks  and  toma- 
toes. Milk,  butter  and  eggs  are  abundant  and  very  good,  but 
the  cheese  of  the  country  is  detestable.  The  habitations  resem- 
ble ant-hills,  rather  than  human  dwellings,  and  the  villages  are 
depots  of  tilth  and  vermin,  on  the  most  magnificent  scale.  Our 
boat  was  fortunately  free  from  the  latter,  except  a  few  cock- 
roaches. Except  the  palm  and  acacia,  without  which  a  Nile 
journey  would  lose  half  its  attractions,  I  saw  few  trees.  Here 
and  there  stood  a  group  of  superb  plane-trees,  and  the  banana 
sometimes  appeared  in  the  gardens,  but  there  is  nothing  of  that 
marvellous  luxuriance  and  variety  of  vegetation  which  is  else- 
where exhibited  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Tropics. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  we  reached  the  town  of 
Nadir,  and,  as  there  was  no  wind,  went  ashore  for  an  hour  or 
two.      There  was  a  cafe  on  the  bank — a  mud  house,  with   two 


30  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

windows,  adorned  with  wooden  frames,  carved  in  the  Moorish 
style.  A  divan,  built  of  clay  and  whitewashed,  extended  along 
one  side  of  the  room,  and  on  this  we  seated  ourselves  cross-leg- 
ged, while  the  host  prepared  the  little  coffee-cups  and  filled  the 
pipes.  Through  the  open  door  we  saw  the  Nile,  gleaming 
broadly  under  the  full  moon,  and  in  the  distance,  two  tall  palm- 
trees  stood  clearly  against  the  sky.  Our  boatmen,  whom  we 
had  treated  to  booza,  the  Egyptian  beer,  sat  before  us,  and 
joined  in  the  chorus  of  a  song,  which  was  sung  to  entertain  us. 
The  performers  were  three  women,  and  a  man  who  played  a 
coarse  reed  flute.  One  of  the  women  had  a  tambourine,  another 
a  small  wooden  drum,  and  the  third  kept  time  by  slapping  the 
closed  fingers  of  the  right  hand  on  the  palm  of  the  left.  The 
song,  which  had  a  wild,  rude  harmony  that  pleased  me,  was 
followed  by  a  dance,  executed  by  one  of  the  women.  It  was 
very  similar  to  the  fandango,  as  danced  by  the  natives  of  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  was  more  lascivious  than  graceful. 
The  women,  however,  were  of  the  lowest  class,  and  their  per- 
formances were  adapted  to  the  taste  of  the  boatmen  and  camel- 
drivers,  by  whom  they  are  patronized. 

The  next  day  the  yellow  hills  of  the  Libyan  Desert,  which 
in  some  places  press  the  arable  land  of  the  Delta  even  to  the 
brink  of  the  Nile,  appeared  in  the  west.  The  sand  appeared 
to  be  steadily  advancing  towards  the  river,  and  near  Werdan 
had  already  buried  a  grove  of  acacias  as  high  as  their  first 
branches.  The  tops  were  green  and  flourishing  above  the 
deluge,  but  another  year  or  two  would  overwhelm  them  com- 
pletely. We  had  a  thick  fog  during  the  night,  and  the  follow- 
ing day  was  exceedingly  hot  though  the  air  was  transparent  as 
crystal.     Our  three  faces  were  already  of  the  color  of  new 


THE    BARK  AGE.  31 

bronze,  which  was  burned  into  the  skin  by  the  reflection  from 
the  water.  While  my  friends  were  enjoying  their  usual  after- 
noon repose,  a  secret  presentiment  made  me  climb  to  the  roof 
of  our  cabin.  I  had  not  sat  there  long,  before  I  descried  two 
faint  blue  triangles  on  the  horizon,  far  to  the  south.  I  rudely 
broke  in  upon  their  indolence  with  a  shout  of  "  the  Pyra- 
mids !  "  which  Seyd  echoed  with  "  El-haram  Faraoon  !  "  I 
was  as  much  impressed  with  the  view  as  I  expected  to  be,  but 
I  completely  nullified  the  European's  emotion  by  translating 
to  him  Thackeray's  description  of  his  first  sight  of  those  re- 
nowned monuments. 

The  same  evening  we  reached  the  northern  point  of  the 
Delta,  where  we  were  obliged  to  remain  all  night,  as  the  wind 
was  not  sufficiently  strong  to  allow  us  to  pass  the  Barrage. 
Singularly  enough,  this  immense  work,  which  is  among  the 
greatest  undertakings  of  modern  times,  is  scarcely  heard  of  out 
of  Egypt.  It  is  nothing  less  than  a  damming  of  the  Nile, 
which  is  to  have  the  effect  of  producing  two  inundations  a 
year,  and  doubling  the  crops  throughout  the  Delta.  Here, 
where  the  flood  divides  itself  into  two  main  branches,  which 
find  separate  mouths  at  Damietta  and  Ilosetta,  an  immense 
dam  has  not  only  been  projected,  but  is  far  advanced  toward 
completion.  Each  branch  will  be  spanned  by  sixty-two  arches, 
besides  a  central  gateway  ninety  feet  in  breadth,  and  flanked 
by  lofty  stone,  towers.  The  point  of  the  Delta,  between  the 
two  dams,  is  protected  by  a  curtain  of  solid  masonry,  and  the 
abutments  which  it  joins  are  fortified  by  towers  sixty  or  seven- 
ty feet  in  height.  The  piers  have  curved  breakwaters  on  the 
upper  side,  while  the  opposite  parapet  of  the  arches  rises  high 
above  them,  so  that  the  dam  consists  of  three  successive  ter- 


32  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

races,  and  presents  itself  like  a  wedge,  against  the  force  of 
such  an  immense  body  of  water.  The  material  is  brick,  faced 
with  stone.  When  complete,  it  is  intended  to  close  the  side- 
arches  during  low  water,  leaving  only  the  central  gateway 
open.  By  this  means  sufficient  water  will  be  gained  to  fill  all 
the  irrigating  canals,  while  a  new  channel,  cut  through  the 
centre  of  the  Delta,  will  render  productive  a  vast  tract  of  fer- 
tile land.  The  project  is  a  grand  one,  and  the  only  obstacle 
to  its  success  is  the  light,  porous  character  of  the  alluvial 
soil  on  which  the  piers  are  founded.  The  undertaking  was 
planned  and  commenced  by  M.  Linant,  and  has  since  been 
continued  by  other  engineers. 

The  Eg}7Tjtian  boatmen  have  reason  to  complain  of  the 
Barrage.  The  main  force  of  the  river  is  poured  through  the 
narrow  space  wherein  the  piers  have  not  yet  been  sunk,  which 
cannot  be  passed  without  a  strong  north  wind.  Forty  or  fifty 
boats  were  lying  along  the  shore,  waiting  the  favorable  mo- 
ment. We  obtained  permission  from  the  engineer  to  attach 
our  boat  to  a  large  government  barge,  which  was  to  be  drawn 
up  by  a  stationary  windlass.  As  we  put  off,  the  wind  freshen- 
ed, and  we  were  slowly  urged  against  the  current  to  the  main 
rapid,  where  we  were  obliged  to  hold  on  to  our  big  friend. 
Behind  us  the  river  was  white  with  sails — craft  of  all  kinds, 
pushed  up  by  the  wind,  dragged  down  by  the  water,  striking 
against  each  other,  entangling  their  long  sails  and  crowding 
into  the  narrow  passage,  amid  shouts,  cries  and  a  bewildering 
profusion  of  Arabic  gutturals.  For  half  an  hour,  the  scene  was 
most  exciting,  but  thanks  to  the  windlass,  we  reached  smoother 
water,  and  sailed  off  gayly  for  Cairo. 

The  true   Nile  expanded  before  us,  nearly  two  miles  in 


"WE    REACH    BOULAK.  38 

width.  To  the  south,  the  three  Pyramids  of  Gizeh  loomed 
up  like  isolated  mountain-peaks  on  the  verge  of  the  Desert. 
On  the  right  hand  the  Mokattam  Hills  lay  red  and  bare  in 
the  sunshine,  and  ere  long,  over  the  distant  gardens  of  Shoo- 
bra,  we  caught  sight  of  the  Citadel  of  Cairo,  and  the  minarets 
of  the  mosque  of  Sultan  Hassan.  The  north  wind  was  faith- 
ful :  at  three  o'clock  we  were  anchored  in  Boulak,  paid  our 
rai's,  gave  the  crew  a  backsheesh,  for  which  they  kissed  our 
hands  with  many  exclamations  of  "  taib  ! r  (good  !)  and  set 
out  for  Cairo. 


34  OURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


CHAPTER    III. 

PICTURES       OF       CAIRO. 

Entrance— The  Ezbekiyeli— Saracenic  Houses— Donkeys— The  Bazaars— Tlie  Streets 
— Processions — View  from  the  Citadel — Mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali — The  Road  to 
Suez— The  Island  of  Rhoda. 

Our  approach  to  and  entrance  into  Cairo  was  the  illuminated 
frontispiece  to  the  volume  of  my  Eastern  life.  From  the  Nilo 
we  had  already  seen  the  mosque  of  Sultan  Hassan,  the  white 
domes,  and  long,  pencil-like  minarets  of  the  new  mosque  of 
Mohammed  Ali,  and  the  massive  masonry  of  the  Citadel, 
crowning  a  projecting  spur  of  the  Mokattam  Hills,  which 
touches  the  city  on  the  eastern  side.  But  when,  mounted 
on  ambling  donkeys,  we  followed  the  laden  baggage-horses 
through  the  streets  of  Boulak,  and  entered  the  broad,  shaded 
highway  leading  through  gardens,  grain-fields  and  groves  of 
palm  and  banana,  to  the  gate  of  the  Ezbekiyeh — the  great 
square  of  Cairo — the  scene,  which,  at  a  distance,  had  been 
dimmed  and  softened  by  the  filmy  screen  of  the  Egyptian  air, 
now  became  so  gay,  picturesque  and  animated,  so  full  of  life 
and  motion  and  color,  that  my  dreams  of  the  East  were  at 
once  displaced  by  the  vivid  reality.  The  donkey-riding  multi- 
tudes who  passed  continually  to  and  fro,  were  wholly  unlike 


THE    GREAT    SQUARE    OF    CAIRO.  35 

the  crowds  of  Smyrna  and  Alexandria,  where  the  growing  in- 
fluence of  European  dress  and  customs  is  already  visible. 
Here,  every  thing  still  exhaled  the  rich  aroma  of  the  Orient, 
as  it  had  been  wafted  to  me  from  the  Thousand  and  One 
Nights,  the  Persian  poets  and  the  Arab  chroniclers.  I  forgot 
that  I  still  wore  a  Frank  dress,  and  found  myself  wondering  at 
the  temerity  of  the  few  Europeans  we  met.  I  looked  without 
surprise  on  the  long  processions  of  donkeys  carrying  water- 
skins,  the  heavily-laden  camels,  the  women  with  white  masks 
on  their  faces  and  black  bags  around  their  bodies,  the  stolid 
Nubian  slaves,  the  grave  Abyssinians,  and  all  the  other  va- 
rious characters  that  passed  and  repassed  us.  But  because 
they  were  so  familiar,  they  were  none  the  less  interesting,  for 
all  had  been  acquaintances,  when,  like  Tennyson,  u  true  Mus- 
sulman was  I,  and  sworn,"  under  the  reign  of  the  good  Haroun 
Al-Kaschid. 

We  entered  the  Ezbekiyeh,  which  is  wholly  overgrown  with 
majestic  acacias  and  plane- trees,  and  thickets  of  aromatic  flow- 
ering shrubs.  It  is  in  the  Frank  quarter  of  the  city,  and  was 
first  laid  out  and  planted  by  order  of  Mohammed  AH.  All  the 
principal  hotels  front  upon  it,  and  light,  thatched  cafes  fill  the 
space  under  the  plane-trees,  where  the  beau  monde  of  Cairo 
promenade  every  Sunday  evening.  Nothing  of  the 'old  City  of 
the  Caliphs,  except  a  few  tall  minarets,  can  be  seen  from  this 
quarter,  but  the  bowery  luxuriance  of  the  foliage  is  all  that  the 
eye  demands,  and  over  the  plain  white  walls,  on  every  side, 
the  palms — single,  or  in  friendly  groups — lift  their  feathery 
crowns.  After  installing  our  household  gods  in  the  chambers 
of  the  quiet  and  comfortable  Hotel  d'Europe,  we  went  out  to 
enjoy  the  sweet  evening  air  in  front   of  one  of  the  cafes.      T 


30  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

tried  foi  the  first  time  the  narghileh,  or  Persian  -water-pipe. 
The  soft,  velvety  leaves  of  the  tobacco  of  Shiraz  are  burned  in 
a  small  cup,  the  tube  of  which  enters  a  glass  vase,  half  filled 
with  rose-scented  water.  From  the  top  of  this  vase  issues  a 
flexible  tube,  several  feet  in  length,  with  a  mouth-piece  of  wood 
or  amber.  At  each  inspiration,  the  smoke  is  drawn  downward 
and  rises  through  the  wTater  with  a  pleasant  bubbling  sound.  It 
is  deprived  of  all  the  essential  oil  of  the  weed,  and  is  exceed- 
ingly mild,  cool  and  fragrant.  But  instead  of  being  puffed  out 
of  the  mouth  in  whiffs,  it  is  breathed  full  into  the  lungs  and 
out  again,  like  the  common  air.  This  is  not  so  difficult  a  mat- 
ter as  might  be  supposed ;  the  sensation  is  pleasant  and  slight- 
ly exhilarating,  and  is  not  injurious  to  the  lungs  when  moder- 
ately indulged  in. 

The  Turkish  quarter  of  Cairo  still  retains  the  picturesque 
Saracenic  architecture  of  the  times  of  the  Caliphs.  The 
houses  are  mostly  three  stories  in  height,  each  story  projecting 
over  the  other,  and  the  plain  stone  walls  are  either  whitewash- 
ed or  striped  with  horizontal  red  bars,  in  a  manner  which  would 
be  absurd  under  a  northern  sky,  but  which  is  here  singularly 
harmonious  and  agreeable.  The  only  signs  of  sculpture  are 
occasional  door-ways  with  richly  carved  arches,  or  the  light 
marble  gallery  surrounding  a  fountained  court.  I  saw  a  few 
of  these  in  retired  parts  of  the  city.  The  traveller,  however, 
has  an  exhaustless  source  of  delight  in  the  wooden  balconies 
inclosing  the  upper  windows.  The  extraordinary  lightness, 
grace  and  delicate  fragility  of  their  workmanship,  rendered  still 
more  striking  by  contrast  with  the  naked  solidity  of  the  walls 
to  which  they  cling,  gave  me  a  new  idea  of  the  skill  and  fane)' 
of  the  Saracenic  architects.     The  wood  seems  rather  woven  in 


DONKEYS    AND    DONKEY-BOYS.  37 

the  loom,  than  cut  with  the  saw  and  chisel.  Through  these 
lattices  of  fine  network,  with  borders  worked  in  lace-like  pat- 
terns, and  sometimes  topped  with  slender  turrets  and  pinnacles, 
the  wives  of  the  Cairene  merchants  sit  and  watch  the  crowds 
passing  softly  to  and  fro  in  the  twilight  of  the  bazaars,  them- 
selves unseen.  It  needed  no  effort  of  the  imagination  to  people 
the  fairy  watch-towers  under  which  we  rode  daily,  with  forms 
as  beautiful  as  those  which  live  in  the  voluptuous  melodies  of 
Hafiz. 

To  see  Cairo  thoroughly,  one  must  first  accustom  himself 
to  the  ways  of  those  long-eared  cabs,  without  the  use  of  which 
T  would  advise  no  one  to  trust  himself  in  the  bazaars.  Don- 
key-riding is  universal,  and  no  one  thinks  of  going  beyond  the 
Frank  quarter  on  foot.  If  he  does,  he  must  submit  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  not  less  than  six  donkeys  wTith  their  drivers.  A 
friend  of  mine,  who  was  attended  by  such  a  cavalcade  for  two 
hours,  was  obliged  to  yield  at  last,  and  made  no  second  attempt. 
When  we  first  appeared  in  the  gateway  of  our  hotel,  equipped 
for  an  excursion,  the  rush  of  men  and  animals  was  so  great, 
that  we  were  forced  to  retreat  until  our  servant  and  the  porter 
whipped  us  a  path  through  the  yelling  and  braying  mob.  Af- 
ter one  or  two  trials,  I  found  an  intelligent  Arab  boy,  named 
Kish,  who,  for  five  piastres  a  day,  furnished  strong  and  ambi- 
tious donkeys,  which  he  kept  ready  at  the  door  from  morning 
till  night.  The  other  drivers  respected  Kish's  privilege,  and 
thenceforth  I  had  no  trouble.  The  donkeys  are  so  small  that 
my  feet  nearly  touched  the  ground,  but  there  is  no  end  to  their 
strength  and  endurance.  Their  gait,  whether  a  pace  or  a  gal- 
lop, is  so  easy  and  light  that  fatigue  is  impossible.  The  dri- 
vers take  great  pride  in  having  high-cushioned  red  saddles,  and 


38  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

• 

in  hanging  bits  of  jingling  brass  to  the  bridles.  They  keep 
their  donkeys  close  shorn,  and  frequently  beautify  them  by 
painting  them  various  colors.  The  first  animal  I  rode  had  legs 
barred  like  a  zebra's,  and  my  friend's  rejoiced  in  purple  flanks 
and  a  yellow  belly.  The  drivers  run  behind  them  with  a  short 
stick,  punching  them  from  time  to  time,  or  giving  them  a  sharp 
pinch  on  the  rump.  Very  few  of  them  own  their  donkeys,  and 
I  understood  their  pertinacity  when  I  learned  that  they  fre- 
quently received  a  beating  on  returning  home  in  the  evening 
empty-handed. 

The  passage  of  the  bazaars  seems  at  first  quite  as  hazardous 
on  donkey-back  as  on  foot,  but  it  is  the  difference  between  knock- 
ing somebody  down  and  being  knocked  down  yourself,  and  one 
naturally  prefers  the  former  alternative.  There  is  no  use  in 
attempting  to  guide  the  donkey,  for  he  won't  be  guided.  The 
driver  shouts  behind,  and  you  are  dashed  at  full  speed  into  a 
confusion  of  other  donkeys,  camels,  horses,  carts,  water-car- 
riers and  footmen.  In  vain  you  cry  out :  "  Bess  /"  (enough  !) 
"  Piano  !  "  and  other  desperate  adjurations ;  the  driver's  only 
reply  is :  "  Let  the  bridle  hang  loose  ! "  You  dodge  your 
head  under  a  camel-load  of  planks ;  your  leg  brushes  the  wheel 
of  a  dust-cart ;  you  strike  a  fat  Turk  plump  in  the  back ;  you 
miraculously  escape  upsetting  a  fruit-stand;  you  scatter  a  com- 
pany of  spectral,  white-masked  women,  and  at  last  reach  some 
more  quiet  street,  with  the  sensation  of  a  man  who  has  stormed 
a  battery.  At  first  this  sort  of  riding  made  me  very  nervous, 
but  finally  I  let  the  donkey  go  his  own  way,  and  took  a  curious 
interest  in  seeing  how  near  a  chance  I  ran  of  striking  or  being 
struck.  Sometimes  there  seemed  no  hope  of  avoiding  a  violent 
collision,  but  by  a  series  of  the  most  remarkable  dodges  he  gen- 


THE    POPULACE    OF    CAIRO.  39 

erally  carried  me  through  in  safety.  The  cries  of  the  driver, 
running  behind,  gave  me  no  little  amusement :  "  The  Howadji 
comes !  Take  care  on  the  right  hand !  take  care  on  the  left 
hand  !  0  man,  take  care  !  0  maiden,  take  care  !  0  boy,  get 
out  of  the  way  !  The.  Howadji  comes  !  "  Kish  had  strong  lungs 
and  his  donkey  would  let  nothing  pass  him,  and  so,  wherever 
we  went,  we  contributed  our  full  share  to  the  universal  noise 
and  confusion. 

Cairo  is  the  cleanest  of  all  oriental  cities.  The  regulations 
established  by  Mohammed  Ali  are  strictly  carried  out.  Each 
man  is  obliged  to  sweep  before  his  own  door,  and  the  dirt  is 
carried  away  in  carts  every  morning.  Besides  this,  the  streets 
are  watered  several  times  a  day,  and  are  nearly  always  cool 
and  free  from  dust.  The  constant  evaporation  of  the  water, 
however,  is  said  to  be  injurious  to  the  eyes  of  the  inhabitants, 
though  in  other  respects  the  city  is  healthy.  The  quantity  of 
sore-eyed,  cross-eyed,  one-eyed,  and  totally  blind  persons  one 
meets  every  where,  is  surprising.  There  are  some  beggars, 
mostly  old  or  deformed,  but  by  no  means  so  abundant  or  imper- 
tinent as  in  the  Italian  cities.  A  number  of  shabby  police- 
men, in  blue  frock-coats  and  white  pantaloons,  parade  the  prin- 
cipal thoroughfares,  but  I  never  saw  their  services  called  into 
requisition.  The  soldiers,  who  wear  a  European  dress  of  white 
cotton,  are  by  far  the  most  awkward  and  unpicturesque  class. 
Even  the  Fellah,  whose  single  brown  garment  hangs  loose  from 
his  shoulders  to  his  knees,  has  an  air  of  dignity  compared  with 
these  Frankish  caricatures.  The  genuine  Egyptian  costume, 
which  bears  considerable  resemblance  to  the  Greek,  and  espe 
cially  the  Hydriote,  is  simple  and  graceful.  The  colors  are 
dark — principally  brown,  blue,  green  and  violet — relieved  by  a 


40  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

heavy  silk  sash  of  some  gay  pattern,  and  by  the  red  slippers 
and  tarboosh.  But,  as  in  Turkey,  the  Pashas  and  Beys,  and 
many  of  the  minor  officers  of  the  civil  departments  have  adopt- 
ed the  Frank  dress,  retaining  only  the  tarboosh, — a  change 
which  is  by  no  means  becoming  to  them.  I  went  into  an  Egyp- 
tian barber-shop  one  day,  to  have  my  hair  shorn,  and  en- 
joyed the  preparatory  pipe  and  coffee  in  company  with  two  in- 
dividuals, whom  I  supposed  to  be  French  or  Italians  of  the 
vulgar  order,  until  the  barber  combed  out  the  long  locks  on  the 
top  of  their  head,  by  which  Mussulmen  expect  to  be  lifted  up 
into  Paradise.  When  they  had  gone,  the  man  informed  me 
that  one  was  Khalim  Pasha,  one  of  the  grandsons  of  Moham- 
med Ali,  and  the  other  a  Bey,  of  considerable  notoriety.  The 
Egyptians  certainly  do  not  gain  any  thing  by  adopting  a  costume 
which,  in  this  climate,  is  neither  so  convenient  nor  so  agreeable 
as  their  own. 

Besides  the  animated  life  of  the  bazaars,  which  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing,  in  making  my  outfit  for  the  winter's 
journey,  I  rarely  went  out  without  witnessing  some  incident  or 
ceremony  illustrative  of  Egyptian  character  and  customs.  One 
morning  I  encountered  a  stately  procession,  with  music  and 
banners,  accompanying  a  venerable  personage,  with  a  green  tur- 
ban on  his  head  and  a  long  white  beard  flowing  over  his  breast. 
This,  as  Kish  assured  me,  was  the  Shereef  of  Mecca.  He  was 
attended  by  officers  in  the  richest  Turkish  and  Egyptian  cos- 
tumes, mounted  on  splendid  Arabian  steeds,  who  were  almost 
hidden  under  their  broad  housings  of  green  and  crimson  velvet, 
embroidered  with  gold.  The  people  on  all  sides,  as  he  passed, 
laid  their  hands  on  their  breasts  and  bowed  low,  which  he  an- 
swered by  slowly  lifting  his  hand.  It  was  a  simple  motion,  but 
nothing  could  have  been  more  calm  and  majestic. 


FESTIVE    PROCESSIONS.  4J 

On  another  occasion,  I  met  a  bridal  procession  in  the  streets 
of  Boulak.  Three  musicians,  playing  on  piercing  flutes,  head- 
ed the  march,  followed  by  the  parents  of  the  bride,  who,  sur- 
rounded by  her  maids,  walked  under  a  crimson  canopy.  She 
was  shrouded  from  head  to  foot  in  a  red  robe,  over  which  a 
gilded  diadem  was  fastened  around  her  head.  A  large  crowd 
of  friends  and  relatives  closed  the  procession,  close  behind 
which  followed  another,  of  very  different  character.  The  chief 
actors  were  four  boys,  of  five  0/  six  years  old,  on  their  way  to 
be  circumcised.  Each  was  mounted  on  a  handsome  horse,  and 
wore  the  gala  garments  of  a  full-grown  man,  in  which  their  little 
bodies  were  entirely  lost.  The  proud  parents  marched  by  their 
sides,  supporting  them,  and  occasionally  holding  to  their  lips 
bottles  of  milk  and  sherbet.  One  was  a  jet  black  Nubian,  who 
seemed  particularly  delighted  with  his  situation,  and  grinned  on 
all  sides  as  he  passed  along.  This  procession  was  headed  by 
a  buffoon,  who  carried  a  laugh  with  him  which  opened  a  ready 
passage  through  the  crowd.  A  man  followed  balancing  on  his 
chin  a  long  pole  crowned  with  a  bunch  of  flowers.  He  came  to 
me  for  backsheesh.  His  success  brought  me  two  swordsmen 
out  of  the  procession,  wTho  cut  at  each  other  with  scimitars  and 
caught  the  blows  on  their  shields.  The  coolness,  swiftness  and 
skill  with  which  they  parried  the  strokes  was  really  admirable, 
and  the  concluding  flourish  was  a  masterpiece.  One  of  them, 
striking  with  the  full  sweep  of  his  arm,  aimed  directly  at  the 
face  of  the  other,  as  if  to  divide  his  head  into  two  parts  ;  but 
without  making  a  pause,  the  glittering  weapon  turned,  and 
sliced  the  air  within  half  an  inch  of  his  eyes.  The  man  neither 
winked  nor  moved  a  muscle  of  his  face,  but  after  the  scimitar 
had  passed,  dashed  it  up  with  his  shield,  which  he  then  reversed, 


42  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

and  dropping  on  one  knee,  held  to  me  for  backsheesh.  After 
these  came  a  camel,  with  a  tuft  of  ostrich  feathers  on  his  head 
and  a  boy  on  his  back,  who  pounded  vigorously  on  two  wooden 
drums  with  one  hand,  while  he  stretched  the  other  down  to  me 
for  backsheesh.  Luckily  the  little  candidates  for  circumci- 
sion were  too  busily  engaged  with  their  milk  bottles  and  sugar- 
plums, to  join  in  the  universal  cry. 

I  had  little  time  to  devote  to  the  sights  of  Cairo,  and  was 
obliged  to  omit  the  excursions  to  the  Petrified  Forest,  to  Helio- 
polis  and  Old  Cairo,  until  my  return.  Besides  the  city  itself, 
which  was  always  full  of  interest,  I  saw  little  else  except  the 
Citadel  and  the  Island  of  Rhoda.  We  took  the  early  morning 
for  our  ride  to  the  former  place,  and  were  fortunate  enough  to 
find  our  view  of  the  Nile-plain  unobscured  by  the  mists  cus- 
tomary at  this  season.  The  morning  light  is  most  favorable  to 
the  landscape,  which  lies  wholly  to  the  westward.  The  shad- 
ows of  the  Citadel  and  the  crests  of  the  Mokattam  Hills  then 
lie  broad  and  cool  over  the  city,  but  do  not  touch  its  minarets, 
which  glitter  in  the  air  like  shafts  of  white  and  rosy  flame. 
The  populace  is  up  and  stirring,  and  you  can  hear  the  cries  of 
the  donkeymen  and  water-carriers  from  under  the  sycamores  and 
acacias  that  shade  the  road  to  Boulak.  Over  the  rich  palm- 
gardens,  the  blue  streak  of  the  river  and  the  plain  beyond,  you 
see  the  phantoms  of  two  pyramids  in  the  haze  which  still  cur- 
tains the  Libyan  Desert.  Northward,  beyond  the  parks  and 
palaces  of  Shoobra,  the  Nile  stretches  his  two  great  arms  to- 
ward the  sea,  dotted,  far  into  the  distance,  with  sails  that  flash 
in  the  sun.  From  no  other  point,  and  at  no  other  time,  is 
Cairo  so  grand  and  beautiful. 

Within  the  walls  of  the   Citadel  is  the  Bir  Youssef — Jo- 


THE    CITADEL.  43 

seph's  Well — as  it  is  called  by  the  Arabs,  not  from  the  vir- 
tuous Hebrew,  but  from  Sultan  Saladin,  who  dug  it  out  and 
put  it  in  operation.  The  well  itself  dates  from  the  old  Egyp- 
tian time,  but  was  filled  with  sand  and  entirely  lost  for  many 
centuries.  It  consists  of  an  upper  and  lower  shaft,  cut  through 
the  solid  rock,  to  the  depth  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  A 
winding  gallery,  lighted  from  the  shaft,  extends  to  the  bottom 
of  the  first  division,  where,  in  a  chamber  cut  in  the  rock,  a 
mule  turns  the  large  wheel  which  brings  up  a  continual  string 
of  buckets  from  the  fountain  below.  The  water  is  poured  into 
a  spacious  basin,  and  carried  thence  to  the  top  by  another 
string  of  buckets  set  in  motion  at  the  surface.  Attended  by 
two  Arabs  with  torches,  we  made  the  descent  of  the  first  shaft 
and  took  a  drink  of  the  fresh,  <5ool  fluid.  This  well,  and  the 
spot  where  the  Mameluke  Emin  Bey  jumped  his  horse  over 
the  wall  and  escaped  the  massacre  of  his  comrades,  are  the 
only  interesting  historical  points  about  the  Citadel ;  and  the 
new  mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali,  which  overlooks  the  city  from 
the  most  projecting  platform  of  the  fortifications,  is  the  only 
part  which  has  any  claim  to  architectural  beauty.  Although 
it  has  been  in  process  of  erection  for  many  years,  this  mosque 
is  not  nearly  completed  internally.  The  exterior  is  finished, 
and  its  large,  white,  depressed  dome,  flanked  by  minarets  so 
tall  and  reed-like  that  they  seem  ready  to  bend  with  every 
breeze,  is  the  first  signal  of  Cairo  to  travellers  coming  up  or 
down  the  Nile.  The  interior  walls  are  lined  throughout  with 
oriental  alabaster,  stained  with  the  orange  flush  of  Egyptian 
sunsets,  and  the  three  domes  blaze  with  elaborate  arabesques 
of  green,  blue,  crimson  and  gold.  In  a  temporary  chamber, 
fitted  up  in  one  corner,  rests  the  coffin  of  Mohammed  Ali,  cov- 


44  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

ered  with  a  heavy  velvet  pall,  and  under  the  marble  arches  be- 
fore it,  a  company  of  priests,  squatted  on  the  green  carpet  cov- 
ering the  floor,  bow  their  heads  continually  and  recite  prayers 
or  fragments  of  the  Koran. 

Before  descending  into  the  city,  I  rode  a  little  way  into 
the  Desert  to  the  tombs  of  the  Caliphs,  on  the  road  to  Suez. 
They  consist  mostly  of  stone  canopies  .raised  on  pillars,  with 
mosques  or  oratories  attached  to  them,  exhibiting  considerable 
variety  in  their  design,  but  are  more  curious  than  impressive. 
The  track  in  the  sand  made  by  the  pilgrims  to  Mecca  and  the 
overland  passengers  to  Suez,  had  far  more  real  interest  in  my 
eyes.  The  pilgrims  are  fewer,  and  the  passengers  more  nu- 
merous, with  each  successive  year.  English-built  omnibuses, 
whirled  along  by  galloping  post-horses,  scatter  the  sand,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  herbless  Desert,  the  travellers  regale  them- 
selves with  beefsteak  and  ale,  and  growl  if  the  accustomed 
Cheshire  is  found  wanting.  At  this  rate,  how  long  will  it  be 
before  there  is  a  telegraph-station  in  Mecca,  and  the  operator 
explodes  with  his  wire  a  cannon  on  the  Citadel  of  Cairo,  to 
announce  that  the  prayers  on  Mount  Arafat  have  commenced  ? 

The  Island  of  Ilhoda,  which  I  visited  on  a  soft,  golden 
afternoon,  is  but  a  reminiscence  of  what  it  was  a  few  years 
ago.  Since  Ibrahim  Pasha's  death  it  has  been  wholly  neglect- 
ed, and  though  we  found  a  few  gardeners  at  work,  digging  up 
the  sodden  flower-beds  and  clipping  the  rank  myrtle  hedges, 
they  only  served  to  make  the  neglect  more  palpable.  During 
the  recent  inundation,  the  Nile  had  risen  to  within  a  few 
inches  of  covering  the  whole  island,  and  the  soil  was  still  soft 
and  clammy.  Nearly  all  the  growths  of  the  tropics  are  nur- 
tured here ;  the  coffee,  the  Indian  fig,  the  mango,  and  other 


RECORDS    OF    SILLINESS.  46 

trees  alternate  with  the  palm,  orange,  acacia,  and  the  yellow 
mimosa,  whose  blossoms  make  the  isle  fragrant.  I  gathered 
a  bunch  of  roses  and  jasmine-flowers  from  the  unpruned  vines. 
In  the  centre  of  the  garden  is  an  artificial  grotto  lined  with 
shells,  many  of  which  have  been  broken  off  and  carried  away 
by  ridiculous  tourists.  There  is  no  limit  to  human  silliness, 
as  I  have  wisely  concluded,  after  seeing  Pompey's  Pillar  dis- 
figured by  "  Isaac  Jones  "  (or  some  equally  classic  name),  in 
capitals  of  black  paint,  a  yard  long,  and  finding  "  Jenny  Lind ' 
equally  prominent  on  the  topYnost  stone  of  the  great  Pyramid 
(Of  course,  the  enthusiastic  artist  chiselled  his  own  name  be- 
side hers.)  A  mallet  and  chisel  are  often  to  be  found  in  the 
outfits  of  English  and  American  travellers,  and  to  judge  from 
the  frequency  of  certain  names,  and  the  pains  bestowed  upon 
their  inscription,  the  owners  must  have  spent  the  most  of  their 
time  in  Upper  Egypt,  in  leaving  records  of  their  vulgar  vanity. 


40  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER     IY. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  JOURNEY  INTO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

Necessity  of  Leaving  Immediately— Engaging  a  Boat— The  Dragomen— Achmet  el 
Sai'di— Funds— Information— Procuring  an  Outfit— Preparing  for  the  Desert--The 
Lucky  Day— Exertions  to  Leave— Off ! 

I  devoted  but  little  time  to  seeing  Cairo,  for  the  travelling 
season  had  arrived,  and  a  speedy  departure  from  Cairo  was 
absolutely  necessary.  The  trip  to  Khartoum  occupies  at  least 
two  months  and  it  is  not  safe  to  remain  there  later  than  the 
first  of  March,  on  account  of  the  heat  and  the  rainy  season, 
which  is  very  unhealthy  for  strangers.  Dr.  Knoblecher,  the 
Catholic  Apostolic  Vicar  for  Central  Africa,  had  left  about  a 
month  previous,  on  his  expedition  to  the  sources  of  the  White 
Nile.  I  therefore  went  zealously  to  work,  and  in  five  days  my 
preparations  were  nearly  completed.  I  prevailed  upon  the 
European  of  our  triad,  who  had  intended  proceeding  no  further 
than  Cairo,  to  join  me  for  the  voyage  to  Assouan,  on  the  Nubi- 
an frontier,  and  our  first  care  was  to  engage  a  good  dahabiyeh, 
or  Nile-boat.  This  arrangement  gave  me  great  joy,  for  no- 
where is  a  congenial  comrade  so  desirable  as  on  the  Nile.  My 
friend  appreciated  the  river,  and  without  the  prospect  of  seeing 
Thebes,  Ombos  and  Philae,  would  have  cheerfully  borne  all 
the  inconveniences  and  delays  of  the  journey,  for  the  Nile's 


ENGAGING    A    BOAT.  47 

sake  alone.  Commend  me  to  such  a  man,  for  of  the  hundreds 
of  tourists  who  visit  the  East,  there  are  few  such !  On  my  ar- 
rival, I  had  found  that  the  rumors  I  had  heard  on  the  road 
respecting  the  number  of  travellers  and  the  rise  in  the  price  of 
boats,  were  partially  true.  Not  more  than  a  dozen  boats  had 
left  for  Upper  Egypt,  but  the  price  had  been  raised  in  antici- 
pation. The  ship  carpenters  and  painters  were  busily  employ- 
ed all  along  the  shore  at  Boulak,  in  renovating  the  old  barks 
or  building  new  ones,  and  the  Beys  and  Pashas  who  owned  the 
craft  were  anticipating  a  good  harvest.  Some  travellers  paid 
forty-five  pounds  a  month  for  their  vessels,  but  I  found  little 
difficulty  in  getting  a  large  and  convenient  boat,  for  two  per- 
sons, at  twenty  pounds  a  month.  This  price,  it  should  be  un- 
derstood, includes  the  services  often  men,  who  find  their  own 
provisions,  and  only  receive  a  gratuity  in  case  of  good  behavior. 
The  American  Consul,  Mr.  Kahil,  had  kindly  obtained  for  me 
the  promise  of  a  bark  from  Ismail  Pasha,  before  our  arrival — 
a  superb  vessel,  furnished  with  beds,  tables,  chairs  and  divans, 
in  a  very  handsome  style — which  was  offered  at  thirty  pounds 
a  month,  but  it  was  much  larger  than  we  needed.  In  the 
course  of  my  inspection  of  the  fleet  of  barks  at  Boulak,  I  found 
several  which  might  be  had  at  fifteen,  and  seventeen  pounds 
a  month,  but  they  wece  old,  inconvenient,  and  full  of  vermin. 
Our  boat,  which  I  named  the  Cleopatra,  had  been  newly  cleansed 
and  painted,  and  contained,  besides  a  spacious  cabin,  with 
beds  and  divans,  a  sort  of  portico  on  the  outside,  with  cush- 
ioned seats,  where  we  proposed  to  sit  during  the  balmy  twi- 
lights, and  smoke  our  shebooks. 

Without  a  tolerable  knowledge  of  Arabic,  a  dragoman  is 
indispensable.     The  few  phrases  I  had  picked  up,  on  the  way 


48  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

from  Alexandria,  availed  me  little,  and  would  have  been  use- 
less in  Nubia,  where  either  the  Berberi  language,  or  a  different 
Arabic  dialect  is  spoken  ;  and  I  therefore  engaged  a  dragoman 
for  the  journey.  This  class  of  persons  always  swarm  in  Cairo, 
and  I  had  not  been  there  a  day  before  I  was  visited  by  half  a 
dozen,  who  were  anxious  to  make  the  trip  to  Khartoum.  How 
they  knew  I  was  going  there,  I  cannot  imagine ;  but  I  found 
that  they  knew  the  plans  of  every  traveller  in  Cairo  as  well. 
I  endeavored  to  find  one  who  had  already  made  the  journey, 
but  of  all  who  presented  themselves,  only  two  had  been  farther 
than  the  second  Cataract.  One  of  these  was  a  Nubian,  who 
had  made  a  trip  with  the  Sennaar  merchants,  as  far  as  Shendy, 
in  Ethiopia ;  but  he  had  a  sinister,  treacherous  face,  and  I  re- 
fused him  at  once.  The  other  was  an#old  man,  named  Suley- 
man  Ali,  who  had  been  for  three  years  a  servant  of  Champol- 
lion,  whose  certificate  of  his  faithfulness  and  honesty  he  pro- 
duced. 

He  had  been  three  years  in  Sennaar,  and  in  addition  to 
Italian,  (the  only  Frank  tongue  he  knew),  spoke  several 
Ethiopian  dialects.  He  was  a  fine,  venerable  figure,  with  an 
honest  face,  and  I  had  almost  decided  to  take  him,  when  I 
learned  that  he  was  in  feeble  health  and  would  scarcely  be  able 
to  endure  the  hardships  of  the  journey.  X  finally  made  choice 
of  a  dark  Egyptian,  born  in  the  valley  of  Thebes.  He  was  call- 
ed Achmet  el  Sai'di,  or  Achmct  of  Upper  Egypt,  and  when  a  boy 
had  been  for  several  years  a  servant  in  the  house  of  the  Eng- 
lish Consul  at  Alexandria.  He  spoke  English  fluently,  as  well 
as  a  little  Italian  and  Turkish.  I  was  first  attracted  to  him  by 
his  bold,  manly  face,  and  finding  that  his  recommendations  were 
excellent,  and  that  he  had  sufficient  spirit,  courage  and  address 


OUTFIT FUNDS.  49 

to  serve  us  both  in  case  of  peril,  I  engaged  him,  notwithstand- 
ing he  had  never  travelled  beyond  Wadi  Haifa  (the  Second 
Cataract).  I  judged,  however,  that  I  was  quite  as  familiar 
with  the  geography  of  Central  Africa  as  any  dragoman  I  could 
procure,  and  that,  in  any  case,  I  should  find  it  best  to  form  my 
own  plans  and  choose  my  own  paths.  How  far  I  was  justified 
in  my  choice,  will  appear  in  the  course. of  the  narrative. 

The  next  step  was  to  procure  a  double  outfit — for  the  Nile 
and  the  Desert — and  herein  Achmet,  who  had  twice  made  the 
journey  to  Mount  Sinai  and  Petra,  rendered  me  good  service. 
I  had  some  general  knowledge  of  what  was  necessary,  but  with- 
out the  advantage  of  his  practical  experience,  should  have  been 
very  imperfectly  prepared.  As  it  was,  many  things  were  for- 
gotten in  the  haste  of  departure,  the  need  of  which  I  felt  when 
it  was  too  late  to  procure  them.  I  had  been  prudent  enough, 
when  in  Vienna,  to  provide  myself  with  Berghaus's  great  map 
of  Arabia  and  the  Valley  of  the  Nile,  which,  with  a  stray  vol- 
ume of  Russegger,  were  my  only  guides.  In  Khartoum,  after- 
wards, I  stumbled  upon  a  copy  of  Hoskins's  Ethiopia.  The 
greater  part  of  my  funds  I  changed  into  Egyptian  silver  med- 
jids,  coloymati,  or  Spanish  pillar-dollars,  and  the  Austrian 
dollar  of  Maria  Theresa,  all  of  which  are  current  as  far  as  Sen- 
naar  and  Abyssinia.  I  also  procured  five  hundred  piastres  in 
copper  pieces  of  five  paras  (about  half  a  cent)  each,  which  were 
contained  in  a  large  palm-basket,  and  made  nearly  an  ass's 
load  In  addition  to  these  supplies,  I  obtained  from  an  Arme- 
nian merchant  a  letter  of  credit  on  his  brother  in  Khartoum,  for 
two  thousand  piastres,  on  which,  he  gave  me  to  understand,  I 
should  be  obliged  to  pay  a  discount  of  twenty  per  cent.  I  en- 
deavored, but  in  vain,  to  procure  some  information  relative  to 
3 


50  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

the  cost  of  travelling  in  Nubia  and  the  countries  beyond.  The 
Frank  merchants  knew  nothing,  except  that  the  expenses  were 
vast,  and  predicted  that  the  sum  I  took  would  prove  insufficient 
and  that  I  should  certainly  become  involved  in  great  difficul- 
ties and  embarrassments.  The  native  merchants  who  had  made 
the  journey  were  all  jealous  of  a  foreign  traveller  attempting 
to  penetrate  into  their  peculiar  domain,  and  gave  me  no  satis- 
factory information,  while  to  the  imagination  of  the  Cairenes, 
Sennaar  is  the  utmost  verge  of  the  world,  and  he  who  has  been 
there  and  returned  in  safety,  enjoys  the  special  protection  of 
Allah.  Even  Achmet,  although  he  showed  no  signs  of  fear, 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  accompany  me,  informed  his  family  and 
friends  that  we  were  going  no  further  than  Wadi  Haifa,  for  he 
said  they  would  certainly  detain  him  by  force,  should  they 
learn  the  truth. 

I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  obtain  a  firman  from  Abbas 
Pasha,  which  might  readily  have  been  procured.  The  Ameri- 
can, English  and  Austrian  Consuls  kindly  gave  me  letters  to 
the  principal  Consular  agents  and  merchants  in  Khartoum,  be- 
sides which,  Achmet  professed  to  have  some  acquaintance  with 
Lattif  Pasha,  who  was  then  Pasha  of  Soudan.  To  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Murray,  the  English  Consul-General,  and  Mr.  Constantine 
Kahil,  the  American  Vice-Consul  at  Cairo,  I  was  especially 
indebted  for  favors.  The  former  intrusted  me  with  despatches 
for  Khartoum  and  Obeid,  in  Kordofan,  and  the  latter  furnished 
me  with  letters  to  the  Governors  of  Thebes,  Assouan  and  Ko- 
rosko,  asking  the  latter  to  insure  my  safety  on  the  journey 
through  the  Nubian  Desert.  Thus  prepared,  I  anticipated  no 
further  trouble  on  the  road  than  from  hard-trotting  camels, 
sand,  brackish  water^  and  the  like  privations,  which  are  easily 
borne 


OUTFIT    FOR    THE    BOAT.  51 

The  furnishing  of  a  Nile-boat  requires  considerable  know- 
ledge of  housekeeping.  The  number  of  small  articles  required 
for  this  floating  speck  of  civilization  in  a  country  of  barbarians, 
is  amazing  to  a  bachelor.  I  had  no  idea  that  the  art  of  cook- 
ing needed  such  a  variety  of  tools  and  appliances,  and  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  conceived  some  respect  for  the  fame  of  Ude 
and  Soyer.  There  are  frying-pans  and  stew-pans ;  coffee-pots 
and  tea-pots ;  knives,  forks,  spoons,  towels,  cups,  ladles  and 
boxes ;  butter,  lard,  flour,  rice,  macaroni,  oil,  vinegar,  mus- 
tard and  pepper  ;  and  no  end  to  the  groceries.  We  must  have 
a  table  and  chairs,  quilts  and  pillows,  mats,  carpets  and  nap- 
kins, and  many  other  articles  which  I  should  never  have 
thought  of  without  the  help  of  Aclnnet  and  of  M.  Pini,  who 
keeps  a  general  depot  of  supplies.  His  printed  lists,  in  four 
languages,  lighten  the  traveller's  labor  very  greatly.  His  ex- 
perience in  regard  to  the  quantity  required,  is  also  of  much 
service ;  otherwise  an  inexperienced  person  would  not  know 
whether  to  take  twelve  or  fifty  pounds  of  rice,  nor  how  much 
sugar  belonged  to  so  much  coffee.  The  expense  of  our  outfit, 
including  bread,  fowls,  mutton,  charcoal,  and  every  other 
requisite,  was  about  two  thousand  piastres — a  little  more  than 
one  hundred  dollars.  The  calculation  was  made  for  one 
month's  provisions  for  two  persons. 

For  my  further  journey  after  leaving  the  Nile,  I  was 
recommended  to  take  a  large  supply,  on  account  of  the  scarcity 
and  expense  of  many  articles  in  Upper  Nubia  and  Sennaar.  I 
therefore  purchased  sufficient  tea,  coffee,  flour,  rice,  biscuits, 
sugar,  macaroni  and  dried  fruit  to  last  me  two  months,  beside 
a  complete  canteen,  or  supply  of  articles  necessary  for  life  in 
the  desert.     I  took  an  extra  quantity  of  gunpowder,  tobacco 


52  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

and  coffee,  for  presents  to  the  Arab  sliekhs.  The  entire  cost 
of  this  outfit  was  about  nine  hundred  piastres.  In  addition,  1 
procured  a  good  Turkish  tent  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  pias- 
tres, to  which  I  added  a  supply  of  tent-pins,  lantern-poles,  wa- 
ter-skins, and  leathern  water-flasks,  all  these  articles  being  pro- 
cured to  better  advantage  in  Cairo.  I  did  not  propose  adopt- 
ing the  Egyptian  costume  until  I  had  made  some  progress  in 
the  language,  and  therefore  contented  myself  with  purchasing 
a  bornous  of  camel's  hair,  a  sabre,  a  broad  shawl  of  Tripoli 
silk,  for  the  waist,  and  shoes  of  white  leather,  which  are  very 
cool  and  comfortable.  I  also  followed  the  custom  of  the  Euro- 
pean residents,  in  having  my  hair  shorn  close  to  the  head,  and 
wearing  a  white  cotton  skull-cap.  Over  this  was  drawn  the 
red  tarboosh,  or  fez,  and  as  a  protection  against  the  sun,  I 
bound  a  large  white  shawl  around  it,  which  was  my  first  les- 
son in  turban-making. 

Achmet,  influenced  by  a  superstition  which  is  not  peculiar 
to  the  East,  begged  me  to  hasten  our  preparations,  in  order 
that  we  might  leave  Boulak  on  Monday,  which  day,  he  averred, 
was  the  luckiest  in  the  week,  and  would  render  our  journey 
prosperous  from  beginning  to  end.  Knowing  from  experience 
that  half  the  success  of  the  journey  is  in  the  start,  and  believ- 
ing that  it  is  better  to  have  superstition  with  you  than  against 
you,  I  determined  to  gratify  him.  He  was  as  zealous  as  I 
could  wish,  and  we  rested  not  from  morning  to  night,  until  at 
last,  from  the  spirit  with  which  we  labored,  it  seemed  almost  a 
matter  of  life  and  death,  that  the  boat  should  leave  on  Mon- 
day. I  had  a  clause  inserted  in  our  written  contract  with  the 
captain,  that  he  should  forfeit  a  day's  rent,  in  case  he  was  not 
ready  at  the  appointed  hour ;  but,  in  spite  of  this  precaution, 


THE    LUCKY    DAY.  53 

Achmet,  who  well  knew  the  indifference  of  the  Arab  nature, 
was  constantly  on  his  track.  Two  or  three  times  a  day  he 
galloped  to  Boulak,  to  hasten  the  enlistment  of  the  men,  the 
baking  of  bread  for  the  voyage,  the  furbishing  of  the  cabin, 
and  the  overhauling  of  the  sails,  oars  and  rigging.  My  Euro- 
pean friends  in  Cairo  smiled  at  our  display  of  activity,  saying 
that  such  a  thing  had  never  been  known,  as  a  boat  sailing  at 
the  appointed  time,  and  that  I  was  fatiguing  myself  to  no 
purpose. 

Monday  (Nov.  17th)  came,  and  the  Egyptian  cook,  Sa- 
lame,  whom  we  had  engaged  for  the  Nile  voyage,  was  de- 
spatched to  the  markets  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  fowls,  eggs,  but- 
ter and  vegetables.  My  letters  home — the  last  I  expected 
to  send,  for  months  to  come — were  committed  to  the  Post 
Office,  and  after  an  early  dinner,  we  saw  our  baggage  and 
stores  laden  upon  carts  and  started  for  Boulak,  under  Ach- 
met's  guidance.  We  took  leave  of  the  few  friends  we  had 
made  in  Cairo,  and  followed.  The  Cleopatra  was  still  lying 
in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  dahabiyelis,  but  the  American  flag, 
hoisted  at  the  peak  of  her  little  mizzenmast,  was  our  "  cornet," 
proclaiming  departure.  We  found  Achmet  unjacketed  and 
unturbaned,  stowing  away  the  stores,  with  one  eye  on  the 
rais,  and  another  (as  it  seemed  to  me)  on  each  of  the  tardy 
sailors.  There  was  still  charcoal  to  be  bought,  and  hois  gras 
for  kindling  fires,  and  clubs  for  the  men,  to  prevent  invasions 
from  the  shore,  with  many  more  of  those  wants  which  are 
never  remembered  until  the  last  moment.  The  afternoon  wore 
away ;  the  shadows  of  the  feathery  date-trees  on  the  island 
of  Pthoda  stretched  long  and  cool  across  the  Nile ;  but  before 
the  sun  had  touched  the  tops  of  the  Pyramids,  we  had  squeezed 


54  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

out  from  the  shipping  of  Boulak,  and  were  slowly  working  up 
the  Nile  before  a  light  wind,  while  our  boatmen  thumped  the 
tarabooka,  and  sang  their  wild  Arab  songs  of  departure.  The 
rais  came  up  to  know  whether  he  had  not  fulfilled  his  contract, 
and  Achmet  with  a  cheerful  face,  turned  to  me  and  said : 
"  Praised  be  Allah,  master  !  we  shall  have  a  lucky  journey.'" 


CHAPTER     Y  . 


THE    PYRAMIDS    AND    MEMPHIS. 


Howling  Dervishes— A  Chicken  Factory— Hide  to  the  Pyramids— Quarrel  with  the 
Arabs — The  Ascent — View  from  the  Summit — Backsheesh — Effect  of  Pyramid- 
climbing— The  Sphinx— Playing  the  Cadi— We  obtain  Justice— Visit  to  Sakkara 
and  the  Mummy  Pits — The  Exhumation  of  Memphis — Interview  with  M.  Marietta 
-Account  of  his  Discoveries— Statue  of  Barneses  II. — Return  to  the  Nile. 


"And  Morning  opes  in  haste  her  lids, 
To  gaze  upon  the  Pyramids." — Emekson. 

We  went  no  further  than  the  village  of  Gizeh,  three  or  four 
miles  above  Cairo,  on  the  first  evening,  having  engaged  our 
donkeys  and  their  drivers  to  meet  us  there  and  convey  us  to 
the  Pyramids  on  the  following  morning.  About  dusk,  the  rais 
moored  our  boat  to  the  bank,  beside  a  College  of  dervishes, 
whose  unearthly  chants,  choruses  and  clapping  of  hands,  were 
prolonged  far  into  the  night.     Their  wild  cries,  and  deep,  mo- 


56  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

notonous  bass  howlings  so  filled  our  ears  that  we  could  not 
choose  but  listen,  and,  in  spite  of  our  fatigue  sleep  was  impos- 
sible. After  performing  for  several  hours,  they  gradually 
ceased,  through  sheer  exhaustion,  though  there  was  one  tough 
old  dervish,  who  continued  to  gasp  out,  "Allah!  Allah!" 
with  such  a  spasmodic  energy,  that  I  suspected  it  was  pro- 
duced by  the  involuntary  action  of  his  larynx,  and  that  he 
could  not  have  stopped,  even  had  he  been  so  minded. 

When  we  threw  open  the  latticed  blinds  of  our  cabin,  be- 
fore sunrise,  the  next  morning,  the  extraordinary  purity  of  the 
air  gave  rise  to  an  amusing  optical  delusion  on  the  part  of  my 
friend.  "See  that  wall!"  said  he,  pointing  to  a  space  be- 
tween two  white  houses  ;  u  what  a  brilliant  color  it  is  painted, 
and  how  those  palms  and  these  white  houses  are  relieved 
against  it  1 "  He  was  obliged  to  look  twice  before  he  per- 
ceived that  what  he  had  taken  for  a  wall  close  at  hand,  was 
really  the  sky,  and  rested  upon  a  far-off  horizon.  Our  don- 
keys were  in  readiness  on  the  bank,  and  I  bestrode  the  same 
faithful  little  gray  who  had  for  three  days  carried  me  through 
the  bazaars  of  Cairo.  We  left  orders  for  the  rai's  to  go  on  to 
Bedracheyn,  a  village  near  the  supposed  site  of  Memphis,  and 
taking  Achmet  with  us,  rode  off  gayly  among  the  mud  hovels 
and  under  the  date-trees  of  Gizeh,  on  our  way  to  the  Pyramids. 
Near  the  extremity  of  the  village,  we  entered  one  of  the  large 
chicken-hatching  establishments  for  which  the  place  is  famed, 
but  found  it  empty.  We  disturbed  a  numerous  family  of  Fel- 
lahs, couched  together  on  the  clay  floor,  crept  on  our  hands 
and  knees  through  two  small  holes  and  inspected  sundry  o^ens 
covered  with  a  layer  of  chaff,  and  redolent  of  a  mild,  moist 
heat  and  a  feathery  smell.     The  owner  informed  us  that  for 


RIDE    TO    THE    PYRAMIDS.  57 

the  first  four  or  five  days  the  eggs  were  exposed  to  smoke  as 
well  as  heat,  and  that  when  the  birds  began  to  pick  the  shell; 
which  generally  took  place  in  fifteen  days,  they  were  placed  in 
another  oven  and  carefully  accouched. 

The  rising  sun  shone  redly  on  the  Pyramids,  as  we  rode 
out  on  the  broad  harvest  land  of  the  Nile.  The  black, 
unctuous  loam  was  still  too  moist  from  the  inundation  to  be 
ploughed,  except  in  spots,  here  and  there,  but  even  where  the 
water  had  scarce  evaporated,  millions  of  germs  were  pushing 
their  slender  blades  up  to  the  sunshine.  In  that  prolific  soil, 
the  growth  of  grain  is  visible  from  day  to  day.  The  Fellahs 
were  at  work  on  all  sides,  preparing  for  planting,  and  the  un- 
gainly buffaloes  drew  their  long  ploughs  slowly  through  the  soiL 
Where  freshly  turned,  the  earth  had  a  rich,  soft  lustre,  like 
dark-brown  velvet,  beside  which  the  fields  of  young  wheat, 
beans  and  lentils,  glittered  with  the  most  brilliant  green. 
The  larks  sang  in  the  air  and  flocks  of  white  pigeons  clustered 
like  blossoms  on  the  tops  of  the  sycamores.  There,  in  Novem- 
ber, it  was  the  freshest  and  most  animating  picture  of  Spring. 
The  direct  road  to  the  Pyramids  was  impassable,  on  account 
of  the  water,  and  we  rode  along  the  top  of  a  dyke,  intersected 
by  canals,  to  the  edge  of  the  Libyan  Desert — a  distance  of 
nearly  ten  miles.  The  ruptures  in  the  dyke  obliged  us  occa- 
sionally to  dismount,  and  at  the  last  canal,  which  cuts  off  the 
advancing  sands  from  the  bounteous  plain  on  the  other  side, 
our  donkeys  were  made  to  swim,  while  we  were  carried  across 
on  the  shoulders  of  two  naked  Arabs.  They  had  run  out  in 
advance  to  meet  us,  hailing  us  with  many  English  and  French 
phrases,  while  half  a  dozen  boys,  with  earthen  bottles  which 
they  had  just  filled  from  the  slimy  canal,  crowded  after  them, 


58  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

insisting,  in  very  good  English,  that  we  should  drink  at  once, 
and  take  them  with  us  to  the  Pyramids. 

Our  donkeys'  hoofs  now  sank  deep  in  the  Libyan  sands, 
and  we  looked  up  to  the  great  stone-piles  of  Cheops,  Ce- 
phrenes  and  Mycerinus,  not  more  than  half  a  mile  distant. 
Our  sunrise  view  of  the  Pyramids  on  leaving  Gizeh,  was  suffi- 
cient, had  I  gone  no  further,  and  I  approached  them,  without 
the  violent  emotion  which  sentimental  travellers  experience, 
but  with  a  quiet  feeling  of  the  most  perfect  satisfaction.  The 
form  of  the  pyramid  is  so  simple  and  complete,  that  nothing  is 
left  to  the  imagination.  Those  vast,  yellowish-gray  masses, 
whose  feet  are  wrapped  in  the  silent  sand,  and  whose  tops  lean 
against  the  serene  blue  heaven,  enter  the  mind  and  remain  in 
the  memory  with  no  shock  of  surprise,  no  stir  of  unexpected 
admiration.  The  impression  they  give  and  leave,  is  calm, 
grand  and  enduring  as  themselves. 

The  sun  glared  hot  on  the  sand  as  we  toiled  up  the  ascent 
to  the  base  of  Cheops,  whose  sharp  corners  were  now  broken 
into  zigzags  by  the  layers  of  stone.  As  we  dismounted  in  his 
shadow,  at  the  foot  of  the  path  which  leads  up  to  the  entrance, 
on  the  northern  side,  a  dozen  Arabs  beset  us.  They  belonged 
to  the  regular  herd  who  have  the  Pyramids  in  charge,  and  are 
■so  renowned  for  their  impudence  that  it  is  customary  to  employ 
the  janissary  of  some  Consulate  in  Cairo,  as  a  protection.  Be- 
fore leaving  Gizeh  I  gave  Achmet  my  sabre,  which  I  thought 
would  be  a  sufficient  show  to  secure  us  from  their  importuni- 
ties. However,  when  we  had  mounted  to  the  entrance  and 
were  preparing  to  climb  to  the  summit,  they  demanded  a  dollar 
from  each  for  their  company  on  the  way.  This  was  just  four 
times  the  usual  fee,  and  we  flatly  refused  the  demand.     My 


A    QUARREL.  59 

friend  Lad  in  the  mean  time  become  so  giddy  from  the  few  steps 
he  had  mounted,  that  he  decided  to  return,  and  I  ordered  Ach- 
met,  who  knew  the  way,  to  go  on  with  me  and  leave  the  Arabs 
to  their  howlings.  Their  leader  instantly  sprang  before  him, 
and  attempted  to  force  him  back.  This  was  too  much  for 
Achmet,  who  thrust  the  man  aside,  whereupon  he  was  instantly 
beset  by  three  or  four,  and  received  several  hard  blows.  The 
struggle  took  place  just  on  the  verge  of  the  stones,  and  he  was 
prudent  enough  to  drag  his  assailants  into  the  open  space  before 
the  entrance  of  the  Pyramid.  My  friend  sprang  towards  the 
group  with  his  cane,  and  I  called  to  the  donkey-driver  to  bring 
up  my  sabre,  but  by  this  time  Achmet  had  released  himself, 
with  the  loss  of  his  turban. 

The  Arabs,  who  had  threatened  to  treat  us  in  the  same 
manner,  then  reduced  their  demand  to  the  regular  fee  of  five 
piastres  for  each.  I  took  three  of  them  and  commenced  the 
ascent,  leaving  Achmet  and  my  friend  below.  Two  boys  fol- 
lowed us,  with  bottles  of  water.  At  first,  the  way  seemed 
hazardous,  for  the  stones  were  covered  with  sand  and  fragments 
which  had  fallen  from  above,  but  after  we  had  mounted  twenty 
courses,  the  hard,  smooth  blocks  of  granite  formed  broader  and 
more  secure  steps.  Two  Arabs  went  before,  one  holding  each 
of  my  hands,  while  the  third  shoved  me  up  from  the  rear. 
The  assistance  thus  rendered  was  not  slight,  for  few  of  the 
stones  are  less  than  four  feet  in  height.  The  water-boys 
scampered  up  beside  us  with  the  agility  of  cats.  Wc  stopped 
a  moment  to  take  breath,  at  a  sort  of  resting-place  half-way 
up — an  opening  in  the  Pyramid,  communicating  with  the 
uppermost  of  the  interior  chambers.  I  had  no  sooner  sat 
down  on  the  nearest  stone,  than  the  Arabs  stretched  themselves 


60  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

at  my  feet  and  entertained  me  with  most  absurd  mixture  of 
flattery  and  menace.  One,  patting  the  calves  of  my  legs,  cried 
out ;  "  Oh,  what  fine,  strong  legs !  how  fast  they  came  up  : 
nobody  ever  went  up  the  Pyramid  so  fast ! "  while  the  others 
added  :  "  Here  you  must  give  us  backsheesh  :  every  body  gives 
us  a  dollar  here."  My  only  answer  was,  to  get  up  and  begin 
climbing,  and  they  did  not  cease  pulling  and  pushing  till  they 
left  me  breathless  on  the  summit.  The  whole  ascent  did  not 
occupy  more  than  ten  minutes. 

The  view  from  Cheops  has  been  often  described.  I  cannot 
Bay  that  it  increased  my  impression  of  the  majesty  and  gran- 
deur of  the  Pyramid,  for  that  was  already  complete.  My  eyes 
wandered  off  from  the  courses  of  granite,  broadening  away 
below  my  feet,  to  contemplate  the  glorious  green  of  the  Nile- 
plain,  barred  with  palm-trees  and  divided  by  the  gleaming  flood 
of  the  ancient  river ;  the  minarets  of  Cairo ;  the  purple  walls 
of  the  far  Arabian  mountains  ;  the  Pyramid  groups  of  Sakkara 
and  Dashoor,  overlooking  disinterred  Memphis  in  the  South ; 
and  the  arid  yellow  waves  of  the  Libyan  Desert,  which  rolled 
unbroken  to  the  western  sky.  The  clear,  open  heaven  above, 
which  seemed  to  radiate  light  from  its  entiie  concave,  clasped 
in  its  embrace  and  harmonized  the  different  features  of  this 
wonderful  landscape.  There  was  too  much  warmth  and  bril- 
liance for  desolation.  Every  thing  was  alive  and  real;  the 
Pyramids  were  not  ruins,  and  the  dead  Pharaohs,  the  worship- 
pers of  Athor  and  Apis,  did  not  once  enter  my  mind. 

My  wild  attendants  did  not  long  allow  me  to  enjoy  the 
view  quietly.  To  escape  from  their  importunities  for  back- 
sheesh, I  gave  them  two  piastres  in  copper  coin,  which  instantly 
turned  their  flatteries  into  the  most  bitter  complaints.     It  was 


PHYSICAL    EFFECT    OF    THE    ASCENT.  61 

insulting  to  give  so  little,  and  they  preferred  having  none ;  if 
I  would  not  give  a  dollar,  I  might  take  the  money  back.  I 
took  it  without  more  ado,  and  put  it  into  my  pocket.  This 
rather  surprised  them,  and  first  one,  and  then  another  came 
to  me  and  begged  to  have  it  again,  on  his  own  private  account. 
I  threw  the  coins  high  into  the  air,  and  as  they  clattered  down 
on  the  stones,  there  ensued  such  a  scramble  as  would  have  sent 
any  but  Arabs  over  the  edge  of  the  Pyramid.  We  then  com- 
menced the  descent,  two  seizing  my  hands  as  before,  and  drag- 
ging me  headlong  after  them.  We  went  straight  down  the 
side,  sliding  and  leaping  from  stone  to  stone  without  stopping 
to  take  breath,  and  reached  the  base  in  five  or  six  minutes.  I 
was  so  excited  from  the  previous  aggression  of  the  Arabs,  that 
I  neither  felt  fatigue  nor  giddiness  on  the  way  up  and  down, 
and  was  not  aware  how  violent  had  been  my  exertions.  But 
when  I  touched  the  level  sand,  all  my  strength  vanished  in  an 
instant.  A  black  mist  came  over  my  eyes,  and  I  sank  down 
helpless  and  nearly  insensible.  I  was  scarcely  able  to  speak, 
and  it  was  an  hour  before  I  could  sit  upright  on  my  donkey. 
I  felt  the  Pyramid  in  all  my  bones,  and  for  two  or  three  days 
afterwards  moved  my  joints  with  as  much  difficulty  as  a  rheu- 
matic patient. 

The  Arabs,  who  at  first  had  threatened  to  kill  Achmet, 
now  came  forward  and  kissed  his  hands,  humbly  entreating 
pardon.  But  his  pride  had  been  too  severely  touched  by  the 
blows  he  had  received,  and  he  repulsed  them,  spitting  upon 
the  ground,  as  the  strongest  mark  of  contempt.  We  consider- 
ed it  due  to  him,  to  ourselves,  and  to  other  travellers  after  us, 
to  represent  the  matter  to  the  Shekh  of  the  Pyramids,  who 
lives  in  a  village  called  Kinnayseh,  a  mile  distant,  and  ordered 


JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


Achruet  to  conduct  us  thither.  We  first  rode  along  the  base 
of  the  Pyramid  of  Cephrenes,  and  down  the  sand  drifts  to  the 
majestic  head  of  the  Sphinx.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe 
this  enormous  relic  of  Egyptian  art.  There  is  nothing  like  it 
in  the  world.  Those  travellers  who  pronounce  its  features  to 
be  negro  in  their  character,  are  certainly  very  hasty  in  their 
conclusions.  That  it  is  an  Egyptian  head  is  plainly  evident, 
notwithstanding  its  mutilation.  The  type,  however,  is  rather 
fuller  and  broader  than  is  usual  in  Egyptian  statues. 

On  reaching  the  village  we  found  that  the  shekh  was  ab- 
sent in  Cairo,  but  were  received  by  his  son,  who,  after  spelling 
out  a  few  words  of  my  Arabic  passport  and  hearing  Achmet's 
relation  of  the  affair,  courteously  invited  us  to  his  house.  We 
rode  between  the  mud  huts  to  a  small  court-yard,  where  we 
dismounted.  A  carpet  was  spread  on  the  ground,  under  a 
canopy  of  palm-leaves,  and  the  place  of  honor  was  given  to  us, 
the  young  shekh  seating  himself  on  the  edge,  while  our  don- 
key-drivers, water-boys  and  a  number  of  villagers,  stood  res- 
pectfully around.  A  messenger  was  instantly  despatched  to 
the  Pyramids,  and  in  the  mean  time  we  lighted  the  pipe  of 
peace.  The  shekh  promised  to  judge  the  guilty  parties  and 
punish  them  in  our  presence.  Coffee  was  ordered,  but  as  the 
unlucky  youth  returned  and  indiscreetly  cried  out,  "  3fa 
feesh  !  "  (there  is  none  !)  the  shekh  took  him  by  the  neck, 
and  run  him  out  of  the  court-yard,  threatening  him  with  all 
manner  of  penalties  unless  he  brought  it. 

We  found  ourselves  considered  in  the  light  of  judges,  and 
I  thought  involuntarily  of  the  children  playing  Cadi,  in  the 
Arabian  tale.  But  to  play  our  Cadi  with  the  necessary  gravi- 
ty of  countenance  was  a  difficult  matter.     It  was  rather  em- 


PLAYING    THE    CADT.  63 

barrassing  to  sit  cross-legged  so  long,  and  to  look  so  severe. 
My  face  was  of  the  color  of  a  boiled  lobster,  from  the  sun,  and 
in  order  to  protect  my  eyes,  I  had  taken  off  my  cravat  and 
bound  it  around  the  red  tarboosh.  My  friend  had  swathed  his 
felt  hat  in  like  manner,  and  when  the  shekh  looked  at  us  from 
time  to  time,  while  Achmet  spoke  of  our  friendship  with  all 
the  Consuls  in  Cairo,  it  was  almost  too  much  to  enjoy  quietly. 
However,  the  shekh,  who  wore  a  red  cap  and  a  single  cotton 
garment,  treated  us  with  much  respect.  His  serene,  impar- 
tial demeanor,  as  he  heard  the  testimony  of  the  various  wit- 
nesses who  were  called  up,  was  most  admirable.  After  half 
an  hour's  delay,  the  messenger  returned,  and  the  guilty  par- 
ties were  brought  into  court,  looking  somewhat  alarmed  and 
very  submissive.  We  identified  the  two  ringleaders,  and  after 
considering  the  matter  thoroughly,  the  shekh  ordered  that 
they  should  be  instantly  bastinadoed.  We  decided  between 
ourselves  to  let  the  punishment  commence,  lest  the  matter 
should  not  be  considered  sufficiently  serious,  and  then  to  show 
our  mercy  by  pardoning  the  culprits. 

One  of  the  men  was  then  thrown  on  the  ground  and  held 
by  the  head  and  feet,  while  the  shekh  took  a  stout  rod  and 
began  administering  the  blows.  The  victim  had  prepared 
himself  by  giving  his  bornous  a  double  turn  over  his  back,  and 
as  the  end  of  the  rod  struck  the  ground  each  time,  there  was 
much  sound  with  the  veriest  farce  of  punishment.  After  half 
a  dozen  strokes,  he  cried  out,  "  ya  salaam  !  "  whereupon  the 
crowd  laughed  heartily,  and  my  friend  ordered  the  shekh  to 
stop.  The  latter  cast  the  rod  at  our  feet,  and  asked  us  to 
continue  the  infliction  ourselves,  until  we  were  satisfied.  We 
told  him  and  the  company  in  general,  through  A.chmet,  that 


C4  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

we  were  convinced  of  his  readiness  to  punish  imposition  ;  that 
we  wished  to  show  the  Arabs  that  they  must  in  future  treat 
travellers  with  respect ;  that  we  should  send  word  of  the  aifair 
to  Cairo,  and  they  might  rest  assured  that  a  second  assault 
would  be  more  severely  dealt  with.  Since  this  had  been 
demonstrated,  we  were  willing  that  the  punishment  should  now 
cease,  and  in  conclusion  returned  our  thanks  to  the  shekh,  for 
his  readiness  to  do  us  justice,  This  decision  was  received 
with  great  favor ;  the  two  culprits  came  forward  and  kissed 
our  hands  and  those  of  Achmet,  and  the  villagers  pronounced 
a  unanimous  sentence  of  "  ta'ib  ! "  (good  !)  The  indiscreet 
youth  again  appeared,  and  this  time  with  coffee,  of  which  we 
partook  with  much  relish,  for  this  playing  the  Cadi  was  rather 
fatiguing.  The  shekh  raised  our  hands  to  his  forehead,  and 
accompanied  us  to  the  end  of  the  village,  where  we  gave  the 
coffee-bearer  a  backsheesh,  dismissed  our  water-boys,  and 
turned  our  donkeys'  heads  toward  Abousir. 

Achmet's  dark  skin  was  pale  from  his  wounded  pride,  and  I 
was  faint  from  pyramid-climbing,  but  a  cold  fowl,  eaten  as  we 
sat  in  the  sun,  on  the  border  of  the  glowing  Desert,  comforted 
us.  The  dominion  of  the  sand  has  here  as  distinct  a  bound 
as  that  of  the  sea ;  there  is  not  thirty  yards  from  the  black, 
pregnant  loam,  to  the  fiery  plain,  where  no  spear  of  grass 
grows.  Our  path  lay  sometimes  on  one  side  of  this  border, 
sometimes  on  the  other,  for  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half,  till 
we  reached  the  ruined  pyramids  of  Abousir,  where  it  turned 
southward  into  the  Desert.  After  seeing  Cheops  and  Ce- 
phrenes,  these  pyramids  are  only  interesting  on  account  of 
their  dilapidated  state  and  the  peculiarity  of  their  forms,  some 
of  their  sides  taking  a  more  obtuse  angle  at  half  their  height. 


SAKKARA    AND    MEMPHIS.  65 

They  are  buried  deep  in  the  sand,  which  has  so  drifted  toward 
the  plain,  that  from  the  broad  hollow  lying  between  them  and 
the  group  of  Sakkara,  more  than  a  mile  distant,  every  sign  of 
vegetation  is  shut  out.  Vast,  sloping  causeways  of  masonry 
lead  up  to  two  of  them,  and  a  large  mound,  occupying  the 
space  between,  suggests  the  idea  that  a  temple  formerly  stood 
there-  The  whole  of  the  desert  promontory,  which  seemed  to 
have  been  gradually  blown  out  on  the  plain,  from  the  hills  in 
the  rear,  exhibits  traces  here  and  there  of  ruins  beneath  the 
surface.  My  friend  and  I,  as  we  walked  over  the  hot  sand, 
before  our  panting  donkeys,  came  instinctively  to  the  same 
conclusion — that  a  large  city  must  have  once  occupied  the 
space  between,  and  to  the  southward  of,  the  two  groups  of 
pyramids.  It  is  not  often  that  amateur  antiquarians  find  such 
sudden  and  triumphant  confirmation  of  their  conjectures,  as 
we  did. 

On  the  way,  Achmet  had  told  us  of  a  Frenchman  who  had 
been  all  summer  digging  in  the  sand,  near  Sakkara.  After  we 
had  crawled  into  the  subterranean  depot  of  mummied  ibises, 
and  nearly  choked  ourselves  with  dust  in  trying  to  find  a  pot 
not  broken  open ;  and  after  one  of  our  donkeymen  went  into  a 
human  mummy  pit  and  brought  out  the  feet  and  legs  of  some 
withered  old  Egyptian,  we  saw  before  us  the  residence  of  this 
Frenchman ;  a  mud  hut  on  a  high  sand-bank.  It  was  an  un- 
fortunate building,  for  nearly  all  the  front  wall  had  tumbled 
down,  revealing  the  contents  of  his  kitchen.  One  or  two 
Arabs  loitered  about,  but  a  large  number  were  employed  at 
the  end  of  a  long  trench  which  extended  to  the  hills. 

Before  reaching  the  house  a  number  of  deep  pits  barred 
our  path,  and  the  loose  sand,  stirred  by  our  feet,  slid  back  into 


66  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  bottom,  as  if  eager  to  hide  the  wonders  they  disclosed. 
Pavements,  fresh  as  when  first  laid  ;  basement-walls  of  white 
marble,  steps,  doorways,  pedestals  and  fragments  of  pillars 
glittered  in  the  sun,  which,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  two 
thousand  years,  beheld  them  again.  I  slid  down  the  side  of 
the  pit  and  walked  in  the  streets  of  Memphis.  The  pavement 
of  bitumen,  which  once  covered  the  stone  blocks,  apparently  to 
protect  them  and  deaden  the  noise  of  horses  and  chariots,  was 
entire  in  many  places.  Here  a  marble  sphinx  sat  at  the  base 
of  a  temple,  and  stared  abstractedly  before  her;  there  a  sculp- 
tured cornice,  with  heavy  mouldings,  leaned  against  the  walls 
of  the  chamber  into  which  it  had  fallen,  and  over  all  were 
scattered  fragments  of  glazed  and  painted  tiles  and  sculptured 
alabaster.  The  principal  street  was  narrow,  and  Avas  appa- 
rently occupied  by  private  dwellings,  but  at  its  extremity  were 
the  basement-walls  of  a  spacious  edifice.  All  the  pits  opened 
on  pavements  and  walls,  so  fresh  and  cleanly  cut,  that  they 
seemed  rather  the  foundations  of  a  new  city,  laid  yesterday, 
than  the  remains  of  one  of  the  oldest  capitals  of  the  world. 

We  approached  the  workmen,  where  we  met  the  discoverer 
of  Memphis,  Mr.  Auguste  Mariette.  On  finding  we  were  not 
Englishmen  (of  whose  visits  he  appeared  to  be  rather  shy),  he 
became  very  courteous  and  communicative.  He  apologized 
for  the  little  he  had  to  show  us,  since  on  account  of  the  Van- 
dalism of  the  Arabs,  he  was  obliged  to  cover  up  all  his  discov- 
eries, after  making  his  drawings  and  measurements.  The 
Egyptian  authorities  are  worse  than  apathetic,  for  they  would 
not  hesitate  to  burn  the  sphinxes  for  lime,  and  build  barracks 
for  filthy  soldiers  with  the  marble  blocks.  Besides  this,  the 
French  influence  at  Cairo  was  then  entirely  overshadowed  by 


M.  MARIETTE    AND    HIS    LABORS.  G7 

that  of  England,  and  although  M.  Mariette  was  supported  in 
his  labors  by  the  French  Academy,  and  a  subscription  headed 
by  Louis  Napoleon's  name,  he  was  forced  to  be  content  with 
the  simple  permission  to  dig  out  these  remarkable  ruins  and 
describe  them.  He  could  neither  protect  them  nor  remove 
the  portable  sculptures  and  inscriptions,  and  therefore  prefer- 
red giving  them  again  into  the  safe  keeping  of  the  sand. 
Here  they  will  be  secure  from  injury,  until  some  more  fortu- 
nate period,  when,  possibly,  the  lost  Memphis  may  be  entirely 
given  to  the  world,  as  fresh  as  Pompeii,  and  far  more  grand 
and  imposing. 

I  asked  M.  Mariette  what  first  induced  him  to  dig  for  Mem- 
phis in  that  spot,  since  antiquarians  had  fixed  upon  the  mounds 
near  Mitrahenny  (a  village  in  the  plain  below,  and  about  four 
miles  distant),  as  the  former  site  of  the  city.  He  said  that 
the  tenor  of  an  inscription  which  he  found  on  one  of  the  blocks 
quarried  out  of  these  mounds,  induced  him  to  believe  that  the 
principal  part  of  the  city  lay  to  the  westward,  and  therefore 
he  commenced  excavating  in  the  nearest  sand-hill  in  that  di- 
rection. After  sinking  pits  in  various  places  he  struck  on  an 
avenue  of  sphinxes,  the  clue  to  all  his  after  discoveries.  Fol- 
lowing this,  he  came  upon  the  remains  of  a  temple  (probably 
the  Serapeum,  or  Temple  of  Serapis,  mentioned  by  Strabo), 
and  afterward  upon  streets,  colonnades,  public  and  private  edi- 
fices, and  all  other  signs  of  a  great  city.  The  number  of 
sphinxes  alone,  buried  under  these  high  sand-drifts,  amounted 
to  two  thousand,  and  he  had  frequently  uncovered  twenty  or 
thirty  in  a  day.  He  estimated  the  entire  number  of  statues, 
inscriptions  and  reliefs,  at  between  four  and  five  thousand. 
The  most  remarkable   discovery  was  that  of  eight   colossal 


68  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

statues,  which  were  evidently  the  product  of  Grecian  art. 
During  thirteen  months  of  assiduous  labor,  with  hut  one  as- 
sistant, he  had  made  drawings  of  all  these  objects  and  forward- 
ed them  to  Paris.  In  order  to  be  near  at  hand,  he  had  built 
an  Arab  house  of  unburnt  bricks,  the  walls  of  which  had  just 
tumbled  down  for  the  third  time.  His  workmen  were  then 
engaged  in  clearing  away  the  sand  from  the  dwelling  of  some 
old  Memphian,  and  he  intended  spreading  his  roof  over  the 
massive  walls,  and  making  his  residence  in  the  exhumed  city. 

The  man's  appearance  showed  what  he  had  undergone,  and 
gave  me  an  idea  of  the  extraordinary  zeal  and  patience  requir- 
ed to  make  a  successful  antiquarian.  His  face  was  as  brown 
as  an  Arab's,  his  eyes  severely  inflamed,  and  his  hands  as 
rough  as  a  bricklayer's.  »  His  manner  with  the  native  work- 
men was  admirable,  and  they  labored  with  a  hearty  good-will 
which  almost  supplied  the  want  of  the  needful  implements. 
All  they  had  were  straw  baskets,  which  they  filled  with  a  sort 
of  rude  shovel,  and  then  handed  up  to  be  carried  off  on  the 
heads  of  others.  One  of  the  principal  workmen  was  deaf  and 
dumb,  but  the  funniest  Arab  I  ever  saw.  He  was  constantly 
playing  off  his  jokes  on  those  who  were  too  slow  or  too  negli- 
gent. An  unlucky  girl,  stooping  down  at  the  wrong  time  to 
lift  a  basket  of  sand,  received  the  contents  of  another  on  her 
head,  and  her  indignant  outcry  was  hailed  by  the  rest  with 
screams  of  laughter.  I  saw  the  same  man  pick  out  of  the  sand 
a  glazed  tile  containing  hieroglyphic  characters.  The  gravity 
with  which  he  held  it  before  him,  feigning  to  peruse  it,  occa- 
sionally nodding  his  head,  as  if  to  say,  "Well  done  for  old 
Pharaoh  !"  could  not  have  been  excelled  by  Burton  himself. 

Strabo   states  that  Memphis  had  a  circumference  of  seven- 


M.  MARIETTE    AND    HIS    LABORS.  69 

teen  miles,  and  therefore  both  M.  Mariette  and  the  antiqua- 
rians are  right.  The  mounds  of  Mitrahenny  probably  mark 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  city,  while  its  western  limit  extend- 
ed beyond  the  Pyramids  of  Sakkara,  and  included  in  its  sub- 
urbs those  of  Abousir  and  Dashoor.  The  space  explored  by 
M.  Mariette  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  and  some- 
what more  than  half  a  mile  in  breadth.  He  was  then  continu- 
ing his  excavations  westward,  and  had  almost  reached  the  first 
ridge  of  the  Libyan  Hills,  without  finding  the  termination  of 
the  ruins.  The  magnitude  of  his  discovery  will  be  best  known 
when  his  drawings  and  descriptions  are  given  to  the  world. 
A  few  months  after  my  visit,  his  labors  were  further  re- 
warded by  finding  thirteen  colossal  sarcophagi  of  black  marble, 
and  he  has  recently  added  to  his  renown  by  discovering  an  en- 
trance to  the  Sphinx.  Yet  at  that  time,  the  exhumation  of 
the  lost  Memphis — second  only  in  importance  to  that  of  Nine- 
veh— was  unknown  in  Europe,  except  to  a  few  savans  in  Paris, 
and  the  first  intimation  which  some  of  my  friends  in  Cairo  and 
Alexandria  had  of  it,  was  my  own  account  of  my  visit,  in  the 
newspapers  they  received  from  America.  But  M.  Mariette  is 
a  young  man,  and  will  yet  see  his  name  inscribed  beside  those 
of  Burckhardt,  Belzoni  and  Layard. 

We  had  still  a  long  ride  before  us,  and  I  took  leave  of 
Memphis  and  its  discoverer,  promising  to  revisit  him  on  my 
return  from  Khartoum.  As  we  passed  the  brick  Pyramid  of 
Sakkara,  which  is  built  in  four  terraces  of  equal  height,  the 
dark,  grateful  green  of  the  palms  and  harvest-fields  of  the  Nile 
appeared  between  two  sand-hills — a  genuine  balm  to  our  heat- 
ed eyes.  We  rode  through  groves  of  the  fragrant  mimosa  to 
a  broad  dike,  the  windings  of  which  we  were  obliged  to  follow 


70  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

across  the  plain,  as  the  soil  was  still  wet  and  adhesive.  It  was 
too  late  to  visit  the  beautiful  Pyramids  of  Dashoor,  the  first  of 
which  is  more  than  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  from  a 
distance  has  almost  as  grand  an  effect  as  those  of  Gizeh.  Our 
tired  donkeys  lagged  slowly  along  to  the  palm-groves  of  Mitra- 
henny,  where  we  saw  mounds  of  earth,  a  few  blocks  of  red 
granite  and  a  colossal  statue  of  Remeses  II.  (Sesostris) — which 
until  now  were  supposed  to  be  the  only  remains  of  Memphis. 
The  statue  lies  on  its  face  in  a  hole  filled  with  water.  The 
countenance  is  said  to  be  very  beautiful,  but  I  could  only  see 
the  top  of  Sesostris's  back,  which  bore  a  faint  resemblance  to 
a  crocodile. 

Through  fields  of  cotton  in  pod  and  beans  in  blossom,  we 
rode  to  the  Nile,  dismissed  our  donkeys  and  their  attendants, 
and  lay  down  on  some  bundles  of  corn-stalks  to  wait  the  arri- 
val of  our  boat.  But  there  had  been  a  south  wind  all  day, 
and  we  had  ridden  much  faster  than  our  men  could  tow.  We 
sat  till  long  after  sunset  before  the  stars  and  stripes,  floating 
from  the  mizzen  of  the  Cleopatra,  turned  the  corner  below 
Bedrasheyn.  "When,  at  last,  we  sat  at  our  cabin-table,  weary 
and  hungry,  we  were  ready  to  confess  that  the  works  of  art 
produced  by  our  cook,  Salame,  were  more  marvellous  and  in- 
teresting than  Memphis  and  the  Pyramids. 


LEAVE    THE    PYRAMIDS.  11 


CHAPTER     VI. 

FROM      MEMPHIS      TO      SIOCT. 

Leaving  the  Pyramids —A  Calm  and  a  Breeze— A  Coptic  Visit— Minyeh— The  Grottoee 
of  Beni-IIa?san— Doum  Palms  and  Crocodiles— Djebel  Aboufayda— Entrance  into 
Opper  Egypt — Diversions  of  the  Boatmen — Siout-Its  Tombs — A  Landscape— A 
Bath. 

"  It  flows  through  old  hushed  Egypt  and  its  sands, 
Like  some  grave,  mighty  thought  threading  a  dream." 

Leigh  Hunt's  Sonnet  to  the  Ni*le. 

The  extent  of  my  journey  into  Africa  led  me  to  reverse  the 
usual  plan  pursued  by  travellers  on  the  Nile,  who  sail  to  As- 
souan or  Wadi-Halfa  without  pause,  and  visit  the  antiquities 
on  their  return.  I  have  never  been  able  to  discern  the  phi- 
losophy of  this  plan.  The  voyage  up  is  always  longer,  and 
more  tedious  (to  those  heathens  who  call  the  Nile  tedious), 
than  the  return ;  besides  which,  two  visits,  though  brief,  with 
an  interval  between,  leave  a  more  complete  and  enduring 
image,  than  a  single  one.  The  mind  has  time  to  analyze  and 
contrast,  and  can  afterwards  confirm  or  correct  the  first  im- 
pressions. How  any  one  can  sail  from  Cairo  to  Siout,  a  voy- 
age of  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  with  but  one  or  two  points 
of  interest,  without  taking  the  Pyramids  with  him  in  memory, 
I  cannot  imagine.  Were  it  not  for  that  recollection,  I  should 
have   pronounced    Modern  Egypt  more  interesting  than  the 


72  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Egypt  of  the  Pharaohs  and  the  Ptolemies.  I  omitted  seeing 
none  of  the  important  remains  on  my  upward  journey ,  so  that 
I  might  be  left  free  to  choose  another  route  homeward,  if  pos- 
sible. It  seemed  like  slighting  Fortune  to  pass  Dendera,  and 
Karnak  and  Ombos,  without  notice.  Opportunity  is  rare,  and 
a  wise  man  will  never  let  it  go  by  him.  I  knew  not  what  dan- 
gers I  might  have  to  encounter,  but  I  knew  that  it  would  be  a 
satisfaction  to  me,  even  if  speared  by  the  Bedouins  of  the  Ly- 
bian  Desert,  to  think  :  "  You  rascals,  you  have  killed  me,  but 
T  have  seen  Thebes  ! " 

The  Pyramids  of  Dashoor  followed  us  all  the  next  day 
after  leaving  Memphis.  Our  sailors  tugged  us  slowly  along 
shore,  against  a  mild  south  wind,  but  could  not  bring  us  out  of 
the  horizon  of  those  red  sandstone  piles.  Our  patience  was 
tried,  that  day  and  the  next,  by  our  slow  and  toilsome  progress, 
hindered  still  more  by  running  aground  on  sand-banks,  but  we 
were  pledged  to  patience,  and  had  our  reward.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  fourth  day,  as  we  descried  before  us  the  minarets  of 
Benisouef,  the  first  large  town  after  leaving  Cairo,  a  timid 
breeze  came  rustling  over  the  dourra-fields  to  the  north,  and 
puffed  out  the  Cleopatra's  languid  sails.  The  tow-rope  was 
hauled  in,  our  Arabs  jumped  on  board  and  produced  the  drum 
and  tambourine,  singing  lustily  as  we  moved  out  into  the 
middle  of  the  stream.  The  wind  increased;  the  flag  lifted  itself 
from  the  mast  and  streamed  toward  Thebes,  and  Benisouef 
went  by,  almost  before  we  had  counted  its  minarets.  *  I  tried 
in  vain  to  distinguish  the  Pyramid  of  Illahoon,  which  stands 
inland,  at  the  base  of  the  Libyan  Hills  and  the  entrance  of  the 
pass  leading  to  the  Lake  of  Fyoom,  the  ancient  Moeris.  Near 
the  Pyramid  are  the  foundations  of  the  famous  Labyrinth, 


a  conic  visit.  73 

lately  excavated  by  Dr.  Lepsius.  The  Province  of  Fyooin, 
surrounding  the  lake,  is,  with  the  exception  of  the  Oases  in 
the  Libyan  Desert,  the  only  productive  land  west  of  the  moun- 
tains bordering  the  Nile. 

All  afternoon,  with  both  sails  full  and  our  vessel  leaning 
against  the  current,  we  flew  before  the  wind.  At  dusk,  the 
town  of  Feshn  appeared  on  our  left ;  at  midnight,  we  passed 
Abou-Girgeh  and  the  Mounds  of  Behnesa,  the  ancient  Oxyrin- 
chus ;  and  when  the  wind  left  us,  at  sunrise,  we  were  seventy 
miles  from  Benisoucf.  The  Arabian  Mountains  here  approach 
the  river,  and  at  two  points  terminate  in  abrupt  precipices  of 
yellow  calcareous  rock.  The  bare  cliffs  of  Djebel  el  Tayr  (the 
Mountain  of  Birds),  are  crowned  with,  the  "  Convent  of  the 
Pulley,"  so  called  from  its  inaccessible  situation,  and  the  fact 
that  visitors  are  frequently  drawn  to  the  summit  by  a  rope  and 
windlass.  While  passing  this  convent,  a  cry  came  up  from 
the  muddy  waters  of  the  river  :  "  We  are  Christians,  0  IIow- 
adji ! "  and  presently  two  naked  Coptic  monks  wriggled  over 
the  gunwale,  and  sat  down,  panting  and  dripping,  on  the  deck. 
We  gave  them  backsheesh,  which  they  instantly  clapped  into 
their  mouths,  but  their  souls  likewise  devoutly  yearned  for 
brandy,  which  they  did  not  get.  They  were  large,  lusty  fellows, 
and  whatever  perfection  of  spirit  they  might  have  attained, 
their  flesh  certainly  had  never  been  unnecessarily  mortified. 
After  a  breathing  spell,  they  jumped  into  the  river  again,  and 
we  soon  saw  them  straddling  from  point  to  point,  as  they 
crawled  up  the  almost  perpendicular  cliff.  At  Djebel  el  Tayr, 
the  birds  of  Egypt  (according  to  an  Arabic  legend)  assemble 
annually  and  choose  one  of  their  number  to  remain  there  for  a 
year.  My  friend  complained  that  the  wild  geese  and  ducks 
4 


74  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

were  not  represented,  and  out  of  revenge  fired  at  a  company  of 
Luge  pelicans,  who  were  seated  on  a  sand-bank. 

The  drum  and  tambourine  kept  lively  time  to  the  voices  of 
our  sailors,  as  we  approached  Minyeh,  the  second  large  town 
on  the  river,  and  the  capital  of  a  Province.  But  the  song  this 
time  had  a  peculiar  significance.  After  the  long-drawn  sound, 
something  between  a  howl  and  a  groan,  which  terminated  it,  we 
were  waited  upon  by  a  deputation,  who  formally  welcomed  us 
to  the  city.  We  responded  by  a  backsheesh  of  twenty-five 
piastres,  and  the  drum  rang  louder  than  ever.  We  stayed  in 
Minyeh  long  enough  to  buy  a  leg  of  mutton,  and  then  sailed 
for  the  tombs  of  Beni-Hassan.  The  wind  left  us  as  we  reached 
a  superb  palm-grove,  which  for  several  miles  skirts  the  foot  of 
Djebel  Shekh  Timay.  The  inhabitants  are  in  bad  odor,  and  in 
addition  to  our  own  guard,  we  were  obliged  to  take  two  men 
from  the  village,  who  came  armed  with  long  sticks  and  built  a 
fire  on  the  bank,  beside  our  vessel.  This  is  a  regulation  of 
the  Government,  to  which  travellers  usually  conform,  but  I 
never  saw  much  reason  for  it.  We  rose  at  dawn  and  wandered 
for  hours  through  the  palms,  to  the  verge  of  the  Desert.  When 
within  two  or  three  miles  of  the  mountain  of  Beni-Hassan,  we 
provided  ourselves  with  candles,  water  flasks  and  weapons,  and 
set  off  in  advance  of  our  boat.  The  Desert  here  reached  the 
Nile,  terminating  in  a  bluff  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height,  which 
is  composed  of  layers  of  pebbles  and  shelly  sand,  apparently 
the  deposit  of  many  successive  floods.  I  should  have  attri- 
buted this  to  the  action  of  the  river,  cutting  a  deeper  channel 
from  year  to  year,  but  I  believe  it  is  now  acknowledged  that  the 
bed  of  the  Nile  is  gradually  rising,  and  that  the  yearly  inun- 
dation covers  a  much  wider  space  than  in  the  time  of  the  Pha- 


TIIE    GROTTOES    OF    BEN1-HASSAN.  Y5 

raohs.  It  is  difficult  to  reconcile  this  fact  with  the  very  per 
ceptible  encroachments  which  the  sand  is  making  on  the  Libyan 
shore ;  but  we  may  at  least  be  satisfied  that  the  glorious  harvest- 
valley  through  which  the  river  wanders  can  never  be  wholly 
effaced  thereby. 

We  climbed  to  the  glaring  level  of  the  Desert,  carrying 
with  us  the  plumes  of  a  beautiful  gray  heron  which  my  friend 
brought  down.  A  solitary  Arab  horseman  was  slowly  moving 
along  the  base  of  the  arid  hills,  and  we  descried  in  the  dis- 
tance a  light-footed  gazelle,  which  leisurely  kept  aloof  and 
mocked  our  efforts  to  surround  it.  At  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain we  passed  two  ruined  villages,  destroyed  several  years  ago 
by  Ibrahim  Pasha,  on  account  of  the  marauding  propensities  of 
the  inhabitants.  It  has  a  cruel  sound,  when  you  are  told  that 
the  people  were  driven  away,  and  their  dwellings  razed  to  the 
ground,  but  the  reality  is  a  trifling  matter.  The  Arabs  take 
their  water-skins  and  pottery,  jump  into  the  Nile,  swim  across 
to  a  safer  place,  and  in  three  or  four  days  their  palaces  of  mud 
are  drying  in  the  sun.  We  came  upon  them  the  next  morning, 
as  thievishly  inclined  as  ever,  and  this  was  the  only  place 
where  I  found  the  people  otherwise  than  friendly. 

A  steep  path,  up  a  slope  covered  with  rounded  boulders  of 
hard  black  rock,  leads  to  the  grottoes  of  Beni-Hassan.  They 
are  among  the  oldest  in  Egypt,  dating  from  the  reign  of  Osir- 
tasen  I,  about  1750  years  before  the  Christian  Era,  and  are 
interesting  from  their  encaustic  paintings,  representing  Egyp- 
tian life  and  customs  at  that  early  date.  The  rock  chambers 
extend  for  nearly  half  a  mile  along  the  side  of  the  mountain. 
The  most  of  them  are  plain  and  without  particular  interest, 
and  they  have  all  suffered  from  the  great  spoilers  of  Egypt — 


76  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

the  Persian,  the  Copt  and  the  Saracen.  Four  only  retain  their 
hieroglyphics  and  paintings,  and  are  adorned  with  columns 
hewn  from  the  solid  rock.  The  first  we  entered  contained  four 
plain,  fluted  columns,  one  of  which  had  been  shivered  in  the 
centre,  leaving  the  architrave  and  capital  suspended  from  the 
ceiling.  The  walls  were  covered  with  paintings,  greatly  faded 
and  defaced,  representing  the  culture  and  manufacture  of  flax, 
the  sowing  and  reaping  of  grain,  and  the  making  of  bread, 
besides  a  number  of  spirited  hunting  and  fishing  scenes.  The 
occupant  of  the  tomb  appears  to  have  been  a  severe  master, 
for  his  servants  are  shown  in  many  places,  undergoing  the  pun- 
ishment of  the  bastinado,  which  is  even  inflicted  upon  women. 
He  was  also  wealthy,  for  we  still  see  his  stewards  presenting 
him  with  tablets  showing  the  revenues  of  his  property.  He 
was  a  great  man  in  Joseph's  day,  but  the  pit  in  which  he  lay 
is  now  empty,  and  the  Arabs  have  long  since  burned  his 
mummy  to  boil  their  rice. 

The  second  tomb  is  interesting,  from  a  painting  represent- 
ing thirty  men,  of  a  foreign  nation,  who  are  brought  before  the 
deceased  occupant.  Some  antiquarians  suppose  them  to  be  the 
brethren  of  Joseph,  but  the  tomb  is  that  of  a  person  named 
Nehophth,  and  the  number  of  men  does  not  correspond 
with  the  Bible  account.  Two  of  the  southern  tombs,  which 
are  supported  by  pillars  formed  of  four  budding  locust-stalks 
bound  together,  are  covered  with  paintings  representing  differ- 
ent trades  and  professions.  The  rear  walls  are  entirely  devot- 
ed to  illustrations  of  gymnastic  exercises,  and  the  figures  are 
drawn  with  remarkable  freedom  and  skill.  There  are  never 
more  than  two  persons  in  a  group,  one  being  painted  red  and 
the  other  black,  in  order  the  bettor  to   show  the  position  of 


ANTINOE.  77 

each.  In  at  least  five  hundred  different  groupings  the  same 
exercise  is  not  repeated,  showing  a  wonderful  fertility  of  inven- 
tion, either  on  the  part  of  the  artist  or  the  wrestlers.  The 
execution  of  these  figures  fully  reached  my  ideas  of  Egyptian 
pictorial  art,  but  the  colors  were  much  less  vivid  than  some 
travellers  represent.  The  tombs  are  not  large,  though  numer- 
ous, and  what  is  rather  singular,  there  is  not  the  least  trace  of 
a  city  in  the  neighborhood,  to  which  they  could  have  belonged. 

The  next  day  at  noon  we  passed  between  the  mounds  of 
Antinoe  and  Hermopolis  Magna,  lying  on  opposite  banks  of  the 
Nile.  Antinoe,  built  by  the  Emperor  Adrian  in  honor  of  his 
favorite,  the  glorious  Antinous,  who  was  here  drowned  in  the 
river,  has  entirely  disappeared,  with  the  exception  of  its  foun- 
dations. Twenty-five  years  ago,  many  interesting  monuments 
were  still  standing,  but  as  they  were,  unfortunately,  of  the 
white  calcareous  stone  of  the  Arabian  Hills,  they  have  been 
long  since  burnt  for  lime.  Before  reaching  Antinoe  we  had 
just  come  on  board,  after  a  long  walk  on  the  western  bank,  and 
the  light  wind  which  bore  us  toward  the  mountain  of  Shekh 
Abaddeh  was  too  pleasant  to  be  slighted ;  so  we  saw  nothing 
of  Adrian's  city  except  some  heaps  of  dirt.  The  splendid 
evening,  however,  which  bathed  the  naked  cliffs  of  the  moun- 
tain in  rosy  flame,  was  worth  more  to  us  than  any  amount  of 
marble  blocks. 

The  guide  book  says,  "  hereabouts  appears  the  doum  palm, 
and  crocodiles  begin  to  be  more  frequently  seen."  The  next 
morning  we  found  one  of  the  trees,  but  day  after  day  we  vainly 
bought  a  crocodile.  My  friend  recalled  a  song  of  Geibel's,  con- 
cerning a  German  musician  who  played  his  violin  by  the  Nile 
till  the  crocodiles  came  out  and  danced  around  the  Pyramids, 


78  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

and  in  his  despair  would  also  have  purchased  a  violin,  if  any 
could  have  been  found  in  Siout.  I  had  seen  alligators  on  the 
Mississippi,  and  took  the  disappointment  more  complacently. 
The  doum  palm  differs  from  the  columnar  date-palm  in  the 
form  of  its  leaves,  which  are  fan-like,  and  in  having  a  branching 
trunk.  The  main  stem  divides  a  few  feet  from  the  root,  each 
of  the  branches  again  forming  two,  and  each  of  these  two  more, 
till  the  tree  receives  a  broad,  rounded  top.  The  fruit  hangs 
below  in  clusters,  resembling  small  cocoa-nuts,  and  has  a  sort 
of  gingerbread  flavor,  which  is  not  disagreeable.  When  fully 
dry  and  hard,  it  takes  a  polish  like  ivory,  and  is  manufactured 
by  the  Arabs  into  beads,  pipe  bowls  and  other  small  articles. 
We  approached  the  mountain  of  Aboufayda  with  a  strong 
and  favorable  wind.  Here  the  Nile,  for  upward  of  ten  miles, 
washes  the  foot  of  lofty  precipices,  whose  many  deep  fissures 
and  sharp  angles  give  them  the  appearance  of  mountains  in 
ruin.  The  afternoon  sun  shone  full  on  the  yellow  rocks,  and 
their  jagged  pinnacles  were  cut  with  wonderful  distinctness 
against  the  perfect  blue  of  the  sky.  This  mountain  is  con- 
sidered the  most  dangerous  point  on  the  Nile  for  boats,  and  the 
sailors  always  approach  it  with  fear.  Owing  to  its  deep  side- 
gorges,  the  wind  sometimes  shifts  about  without  a  moment's 
warning,  and  if  the  large  lateen  sail  is  caught  aback,  the  vessel 
is  instantly  overturned.  During  the  passage  of  this  and  other 
similar  straits,  two  sailors  sit  on  deck,  holding  the  sail  rope, 
ready  to  let  it  fly  in  the  wind  on  the  slightest  appearance  of 
danger.  The  shifting  of  the  sail  is  a  delicate  business,  at  such 
times,  but  I  found  it  better  to  trust  to  our  men,  awkward  as 
they  were,  than  to  confuse  by  attempting  to  direct  them.  At 
Djebel  Shekh  Said,  the  sailors  have  a  custom  of  throwing  two 


APPHOVCTI  TO  UPPER  EGYPT.  *79 

or  three  loaves  of  bread  on  the  water,  believing  that  it  will  be 
taken  up  by  two  large  white  birds  and  deposited  on  the  tomb 
of  the  Shekh.  The  wind  favored  us  in  passing  Aboufayda ; 
the  Cleopatra  dashed  the  foam  from  the  rough  waves,  and  in 
two  or  three  hours  the  southern  corner  of  the  mountain  lay 
behind  us,  leaning  away  from  the  Nile  like  the  shattered  pylon 
of  a  temple. 

Before  sunset  we  passed  the  city  of  Manfalout,  whose 
houses  year  by  year  topple  into  the  mining  flood.  The  side 
next  the  river  shows  only  halves  of  buildings,  the  rest  of 
which  have  been  washed  away.  In  a  few  years  the  tall  and 
airy  minarets  will  follow,  and  unless  the  inhabitants  continue 
to  shift  their  dwellings  to  the  inland  side,  the  city  will  entirely 
disappear.  From  this  point,  the  plain  of  Siout,  the  garden  of 
Upper  Egypt,  opened  wide  and  far  before  us.  The  spur  of 
the  Libyan  hills,  at  the  foot  of  which  the  city  is  built,  shot 
out  in  advance,  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant,  but 
the  Nile,  loth  to  leave  these  beautiful  fields  and  groves,  winds 
hither  and  thither  in  such  a  devious,  lingering  track,  that  you 
must  sail  twenty-five  miles  to  reach  El  Hamra,  the  port  of 
Siout.  The  landscape,  broader  and  more  majestic  than  those 
of  Lower  Egypt,  is  even  richer  and  more  blooming.  The 
Desert  is  kept  within  its  proper  bounds ;  it  is  no  longer  visible 
from  the  river,  and  the  hills,  whose  long,  level  lines  frame  the 
view  on  either  side,  enhance  by  their  terrible  sterility  the 
luxury  of  vegetation  which  covers  the  plain.  It  is  a  boun- 
teous land,  visited  only  by  healthy  airs,  and  free  from  the  pes- 
tilence which  sometimes  scourges  Cairo. 

The  wind  fell  at  midnight,  but  came  to  us  again  the  next 
morning  at  sunrise,  and  brought  us  to  El  Hamra  before  noon. 


80  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Our  men  were  in  high  spirits  at  having  a  day  of  rest  be* 
fore  them,  the  contracts  for  boats  always  stipulating  for  a  halt 
of  twenty-four  hours  at  Siout  and  Esneh,  in  order  that  they 
may  procure  their  supplies  of  provisions.  They  buy  wheat 
and  dourra,  have  it  ground  in  one  of  the  rude  mills  worked  by 
buffaloes,  and  bake  a  sufficient  quantity  of  loaves  to  last  two 
or  three  weeks.  Our  men  had  also  the  inspiration  of  back- 
sheesh in  their  song,  and  their  dolorous  love-melodies  rang 
from  shore  to  shore.  The  correctness  with  which  these  people 
sing  is  absolutely  surprising.  Wild  and  harsh  as  are  their 
songs,  their  choruses  are  in  perfect  accord,  and  even  when  at 
the  same  time  exerting  all  their  strength  at  the  poles  and  oars, 
they  never  fail  in  a  note.  The  melodies  are  simple,  but  not 
without  expression,  and  all  are  pervaded  with  a  mournful  mo- 
notony which  seoms  to  have  been  caught  from  the  Desert. 
There  is  generally  an  improvisatore  in  each  boat's  crew,  who 
supplies  an  endless  number  of  lines  to  the  regular  chorus  of 
"  Jiay-haylee  sail  !  "  So  far  as  I  could  understand  our  poet, 
there  was  not  the  least  meaning  or  connection  in  his  poetry, 
but  he  never  failed  in  the  rhythm.  He  sang,  for  instance : 
"0  Alexandrian!" — then  followed  the  chorus:  "Hasten, 
three  of  you  ! " — chorus  again  :  "  Hail,  Sidi  Ibrahim  ! "  and 
so  on,  for  an  hour  at  a  time.  On  particular  occasions,  he  add- 
ed pantomime,  and  the  scene  on  our  forward  deck  resembled  a 
war-dance  of  the  Blackfeet.  The  favorite  pantomime  is  that 
of  a  man  running  into  a  hornet's  nest.  He  stamps  and  cries, 
improvising  all  the  while,  the  chorus  seeking  to  drown  his 
voice.  He  then  throws  off  his  mantle,  cap,  and  sometimes  his 
last  garment,  slapping  his  body  to  drive  off  the  hornets,  and 
howling  with  pain.     The  song  winds  up  with  a  prolonged  cry, 


SIOUT.  81 

which  only  ceases  when  every  lung  is  emptied  Even  when 
most  mirthfully  inclined,  and  roaring  in  ecstasy  over  some  sil- 
ly joke,  our  men  always  laughed  in  accord.  So  sound  and 
hearty  were  their  cachinnatory  choruses,  that  we  involuntarily 
laughed  with  them. 

A  crowd  of  donkeys,  ready  saddled,  awaited  us  on  the  bank, 
and  the  boys  began  to  fight  before  our  boat  was  moored.  We 
chose  three  unpainted  animals,  so  large  that  our  feet  were  at 
least  three  inches  from  the  ground,  and  set  off  on  a  gallop  for 
Siout,  which  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  river.  Its 
fifteen  tall,  white  minarets  rose  before  us,  against  the  back- 
ground of  the  mountain,  and  the  handsome  front  of  the  palace 
of  Ismail  Pasha  shone  through  the  dark  green  of  its  embosom- 
ing acacias.  The  road  follows  the  course  of  a  dam,  built  to 
retain  the  waters  of  the  inundation,  and  is  shaded  with  palms, 
sycamores  and  mimosas.  On  either  side  we  looked  down  upon 
fields  of  clover,  so  green,  juicy  and  June-like  that  I  was 
tempted  to  jump  from  my  donkey  and  take  a  roll  therein. 
Where  the  ground  was  still  damp  the  Arabs  were  ploughing 
with  camels,  and  sowing  wheat  on  the  moist,  fat  loam.  We 
crossed  a  bridge  and  entered  the  court  of  justice,  one  of  the 
most  charmingly  clean  and  shady  spots  in  Egypt.  The  town, 
which  is  built  of  sun-dried  bricks,  whose  muddy  hue  is  some- 
what relieved  by  the  whitewashed  mosques  and  minarets,  ia 
astonishingly  clean  in  every  part.  The  people  themselves  ap- 
peared to  be  orderly,  intelligent  and  amiable. 

The  tombs  of  the  City  of  Wolves,  the  ancient  Lycopolis, 

are  in  the  eastern  front  of  the  mountain  overhanging  the  city. 

We  rode  to   the  Stall  Antar,  the  principal  one,  and  then 

climbed  to  the  summit.      The  tombs  are  much  larger  than 

4* 


82  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

those  of  Beni-Hassan,  "but  have  been  almost  ruined  by  the 
modern  Egyptians.  The  enormous  square  pillars  which  filled 
their  halls  have  been  shattered  down  for  lime,  and  only  frag- 
ments of  the  capitals  still  hang  from  the  ceilings  of  solid  rock. 
The  sculptures  and  hieroglyphics,  which  are  here  not  painted 
but  sculptured  in  intaglio,  are  also  greatly  defaced.  The 
second  tomb  called  by  the  Arabs  Stall  Hamam  (Pigeon  Sta- 
ble), retains  its  grand  doorway,  which  has  on  each  side  the  co- 
lossal figure  of  an  ancient  king.  The  sand  around  its  mouth 
is  filled  with  fragments  of  mummied  wolves,  and  on  our  way 
up  the  mountain  we  scared  one  of  their  descendants  from  his 
lair  in  a  solitary  tomb.  The  Stabl  Hamam  is  about  sixty 
feet  square  by  forty  in  height,  and  in  its  rough  and  ruined  as- 
pect is  more  impressive  than  the  more  chaste  and  elegant 
chambers  of  Beni-Hassan.  The  view  of  the  plain  of  Siout, 
seen  through  its  entrance,  has  a  truly  magical  effect.  From 
the  gray  twilight  of  the  hall  in  which  you  stand,  the  green  of 
the  fields,  the  purple  of  the  distant  mountains,  and  the  blue 
of  the  sky,  dazzle  your  eye  as  if  tinged  with  the  broken  rays 
of  a  prism. 

From  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  which  we  reached  by 
scaling  a  crevice  in  its  white  cliffs,  we  overlooked  a  more  beau- 
tiful landscape  than  that  seen  from  the  Pyramid.  In  the 
north,  beyond  the  spires  of  Manfalout  and  the  crags  of  Abou- 
fayda,  we  counted  the  long  palm-groves,  receding  behind  one 
another  to  the  yellow  shore  of  the  Desert ;  in  front,  the  wind- 
ing Nile  and  the  Arabian  Mountains ;  southward,  a  sea  of 
wheat  and  clover  here  deepening  into  dark  emerald,  there  pal- 
ing into  gold,  according  to  the  degree  of  moisture  in  the  soil, 
and  ceasing  only  because  the  eye  refused  to  follow ;  while  be- 


SIOUT A    BATH.  83 

hind  us,  orer  the  desert  hills,  wound  the  track  of  the  yearly 
caravan  from  Dar-Fur  and  Kordofan.  Our  Arab  guide  point- 
ed out  a  sandy  plain,  behind  the  cemetery  of  the  Mamelukes, 
which  lay  at  our  feet,  as  the  camping-ground  of  the  caravan, 
and  tried  to  tell  us  how  many  thousand  camels  were  assembled 
there.  As  we  looked  upon  the  superb  plain,  teeming  with  its 
glory  of  vegetable  life  and  enlivened  by  the  songs  of  the  Arab 
ploughmen,  a  funeral  procession  came  from  the  city  and  passed 
slowly  to  the  burying-ground,  accompanied  by  the  dismal 
howling  of  a  band  of  women.  We  went  below  and  rode  be- 
tween the  whitewashed  domes  covering  the  graves  of  the 
Mamelukes.  The  place  was  bright,  clean  and  cheerful,  in 
comparison  with  the  other  Arab  burying-grounds  we  had  seen. 
The  grove  which  shades  its  northern  wall  stretches  for  more 
than  a  mile  along  the  edge  of  the  Desert — a  picturesque  ave- 
nue of  palms,  sycamores,  fragrant  acacias,  mimosas  and  acan- 
thus. The  air  around  Siout  is  pregnant  with  the  rich  odor  of 
the  yellow  mimosa-flowers,  and  one  becomes  exhilarated  by 
breathing  it. 

The  city  has  handsome  bazaars  and  a  large  bath,  built  by 
Mohammed  Bey  Defterdar,  the  savage  son-in-law  of  Mohammed 
Ali.  The  halls  are  spacious,  supported  by  granite  columns, 
and  paved  with  marble.  Little  threads  of  water,  scarcely  visi- 
ble in  the  dim,  steamy  atmosphere,  shoot  upward  from  the 
stone  tanks,  around  which  a  dozen  brown  figures  lie  stretched 
in  the  lazy  beatitude  of  the  bath.  I  was  given  over  to  two 
Arabs,  who  scrubbed  me  to  desperation,  plunged  me  twice  over 
head  and  ears  in  a  tank  of  scalding  water,  and  then  placed  me 
under  a  cold  douclie.  When  the  whole  process,  which  occupied 
more  than  half  an  hour,  was  over,  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  pipe 


84  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

were  brought  to  me  as  I  lay  stretched  out  on  the  divan,  while 
another  attendant  commenced  a  course  of  dislocation,  twisting 
and  cracking  all  my  joints  and  pressing  violently  with  both 
hands  on  my  breast.  Singularly  enough,  this  removed  the  lan- 
guor occasioned  by  so  much  hot  water,  and  gave  a  wonderful 
elasticity  to  the  frame.  I  walked  out  as  if  shod  with  the  wings 
of  Mercury,  and  as  I  rode  back  to  our  boat,  congratulated  my 
donkey  on  the  airy  lightness  of  his  load. 


%r  »s 


*■ 


The  Cleopatra. 


CHAPTER     VII. 

LIFE       ON       THE       NILE. 

Independence  of  Nile  Life— The  Dahabiyeh— Our  Servants— Our  Residence— Our  Man- 
ner of  Living— The  Climate— The  Natives— Costume— Our  Sunset  Eepoee— My 
Friend — A  Sensuous  Life  Defended. 


"The  life  thou  seek'st 

Thou'lt  find  beside  the  Eternal  Nile."— Moore's  Alciphkos. 

We  hear  much  said  by  tourists  who  have  visited  Egypt, 
concerning  the  comparative  pains  and  pleasures  of  life  on  the 
Nile,  and  their  decisions  are  as  various  as  their  individual 
characters.  Four  out  of  every  five  complain  of  the  monotony 
and  tedium  of  the  voyage,  and  pour  forth  touching  lamenta- 
tions over  the  annoyance  of  rats  and  cockroaches,  the  impossi- 
bility of  procuring  beef-steak,  or  the  difficulty  of  shooting 
crocodiles.     Some  of  them  are  wholly  impermeable  to  the  influ- 


86  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

ences  of  the  climate,  scenery  and  ruins  of  Egypt,  and  carry  to 
the  Nubian  frontier  the  airs  of  Broadway  or  Bond-street.  I 
have  heard  such  a  one  say  :  "  This  seeing  the  Nile  is  a  nice 
thing  to  have  gotten  over,  but  it  is  a  great  bore  while  you  are 
about  it."  Such  is  the  spirit  of  those  travelling  snobs  (of  all 
nations),  by  some  of  whom  sacred  Egypt  is  profaned  every 
winter.  They  are  unworthy  to  behold  the  glories  of  the  Nile, 
and  if  I  had  the  management  of  Society,  they  never  should. 
A  palm-tree  is  to  them  a  good  post  to  shoot  a  pigeon  from ; 
Dendera  is  a  "  rum  old  concern,"  and  a  crocodile  is  better  than 
Karnak. 

There  are  a  few,  however,  who  will  acknowledge  the  truth 
of  the  picture  which  follows,  and  which  was  written  in  the  cabin 
of  the  Cleopatra,  immediately  after  our  arrival  in  Upper  Egypt. 
As  it  is  a  faithful  transcript  of  my  Nilotic  life,  I  have  devi- 
ated from  the  regular  course  of  my  narrative,  in  order  to  give 
it  without  change  : — 

The  Nile  is  the  Paradise  of  Travel.  I  thought  I  had 
already  fathomed  all  the  depths  of  enjoyment  which  the  travel- 
ler's restless  life  could  reach — enjoyment  more  varied  and 
exciting,  but  far  less  serene  and  enduring  than  that  of  a  quiet 
home — but  here  I  have  reached  a  fountain  too  pure  and  power- 
ful to  be  exhausted.  I  never  before  experienced  such  a 
thorough  deliverance  from  all  the  petty  annoyances  of  travel  in 
other  lands,  such  perfect  contentment  of  spirit,  such  entire 
abandonment  to  the  best  influences  of  nature.  Every  day  opens 
with  a  jubilate,  and  closes  with  a  thanksgiving.  If  such  a 
balm  and  blessing  as  this  life  has  been  to  me,  thus  far,  can  be 
felt  twice  in  one's  existence,  there  must  be  another  Nile  some- 
where in  the  world. 


INDEPENDENCE    OF    NILE    LIFE.  87 

Other  travellers  undoubtedly  make  other  experiences  and 
take  away  other  impressions.  I  can  even  conceive  circumstan- 
ces which  would  almost  destroy  the  pleasure  of  the  journey. 
The  same  exquisitely  sensitive  temperament  which  in  our  case 
has  not  been  disturbed  by  a  single  untoward  incident,  might 
easily  be  kept  in  a  state  of  constant  derangement  by  an  unsym- 
pathetic companion,  a  cheating  dragoman,  or  a  fractious  crew. 
There  are  also  many  trifling  desagremens,  inseparable  from 
life  in  Egypt,  which  some  would  consider  a  source  of  annoy- 
ance ;  but  as  we  find  fewer  than  we  were  prepared  to  meet,  we 
are  not  troubled  thereby.  Our  enjoyment  springs  from  causes 
so  few  and  simple,  that  I  scarcely  know  how  to  make  them 
suffice  for  the  effect,  to  those  who  have  never  visited  the  Nile. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  such  to  be  made  acquainted  with  our 
manner  of  living,  in  detail. 

In  the  first  place,  we  are  as  independent  of  all  organized 
Governments  as  a  ship  on  the  open  sea.  (The  Arabs  call  the 
Nile  El  bahr,  "  the  sea.")  We  are  on  board  our  own  char- 
tered vessel,  which  must  go  where  we  list,  the  captain  and 
sailors  being  strictly  bound  to  obey  us.  We  sail  under  nation- 
al colors,  make  our  own  laws  for  the  time  being,  are  ourselves 
the  only  censors  over  our  speech  and  conduct,  and  shall  have 
no  communication  with  the  authorities  on  shore,  unless  our 
subjects  rebel.  Of  this  we  have  no  fear,  for  we  commenced 
by  maintaining  strict  discipline,  and  as  we  make  no  unreason- 
able demands,  are  always  cheerfully  obeyed.  Indeed,  the 
most  complete  harmony  exists  between  the  rulers  and  the  ruled, 
and  though  our  government  is  the  purest  form  of  despotism, 
we  flatter  ourselves  that  it  is  better  managed  than  that  of  the 
Model  Republic. 


88  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

Our  territory,  to  be  sure,  is  not  very  extensive.  The  Cleo- 
patra is  a  dahabiyeh,  seventy  feet  long  by  ten  broad.  She 
has  two  short  masts  in  the  bow  and  stern,  the  first  upholding 
the  trinkeet,  a  lateen  sail  nearly  seventy  feet  in  length.  The 
latter  carries  the  belikdn,  a  small  sail,  and  the  American  col- 
ors. The  narrow  space  around  the  foremast  belongs  to  the  crew, 
who  cook  their  meals  in  a  small  brick  furnace,  and  sit  on  the 
gunwale,  beating  a  drum  and  tambourine  and  singing  for  hours 
in  interminable  choruses,  when  the  wind  blows  fair.  If  there 
is  no  wind,  half  of  them  are  on  shore,  tugging  us  slowly  along 
the  banks  with  a  long  tow-rope,  and  singing  all  day  long :  "  Ayd 
hamtm — ayahamimf"  If  we  strike  on  a  sand-bank,  they 
jump  into  the  river  and  put  their  shoulders  against  the  hull, 
singing  :  "  hay-haylee  sah  !  "  If  the  current  is  slow,  they  ship 
the  oars  and  pull  us  up  stream,  singing  so  complicated  a  refrain 
that  it  is  impossible  to  write  it  with  other  than  Arabic  charac- 
ters. There  are  eight  men  and  a  boy,  besides  our  stately  rais, 
Hassan  Abd  ei-Sadek,  and  the  swarthy  pilot,  who  greets  us 
every  morning  with  a  whole  round  of  Arabic  salutations. 

Against  an  upright  pole  which  occupies  the  place  of  a  main- 
mast, stands  our  kitchen,  a  high  wooden  box,  witli  three  fur- 
naces. Here  our  cook,  Salame,  may  be  seen  at  all  times,  with 
the  cowl  of  a  blue  capote  drawn  over  his  turban,  preparing  the 
marvellous  dishes,  wherein  his  delight  is  not  less  than  ours 
Salame,  like  a  skilful  artist,  as  he  is,  husbands  his  resources, 
and  each  day  astonishes  us  with  new  preparations,  so  that,  out 
of  few  materials,  he  has  attained  the  grand  climax  of  all  art — ■ 
variety  in  unity.  Achmet,  my  faithful  dragoman,  has  his  sta- 
tion here,  and  keeps  one  eye  on  the  vessel  and  one  on  the  kitchen, 
while  between  the  two  he  does  not  relax  his  protecting  care  for 


THE    CABIN.  89 

us.  The  approach  to  the  cabin  is  flanked  by  our  provision  chests, 
which  will  also  serve  as  a  breastwork  in  case  of  foreign  aggres- 
sion. A  huge  filter -jar  of  porous  earthenware  stands  against 
the  back  of  the  kitchen.  We  keep  our  fresh  butter  and  vege- 
tables in  a  box  under  it,  where  the  sweet  Nile-water  drips  cool 
and  clear  into  an  earthen  basin.  Our  bread  and  vegetables,  in 
an  open  basket  of  palm-blades,  are  suspended  beside  it,  and  the 
roof  of  the  cabin  supports  our  poultry-yard  and  pigeon-house. 
Sometimes  (but  not  often)  a  leg  of  mutton  may  be  seen  hang- 
ing from  the  ridge-pole,  which  extends  over  the  deck  as  a  sup- 
port to  the  awning. 

The  cabin,  or  Mansion  of  the  Executive  Powers,  is  about 
twenty-five  feet  long.  Its  floor  is  two  feet  below  the  deck,  and 
its  ceiling  five  feet  above,  so  that  we  are  not  cramped  or  crowd- 
ed in  any  particular.  Before  the  entrance  is  a  sort  of  portico, 
with  a  broad,  cushioned  seat  on  each  side,  and  side-awnings  to 
shut  out  the  sun.  This  place  is  devoted  to  pipes  and  medita- 
tion. We  throw  up  the  awnings,  let  the  light  pour  in  on  all 
sides,  and  look  out  on  the  desert  mountains  while  we  inhale  the 
incense  of  the  East.  Our  own  main  cabin  is  about  ten  feet 
long,  and  newly  painted  of  a  brilliant  blue  color.  A  broad 
divan,  with  cushions,  extends  along  each  side,  serving  as  a  sofa 
by  day,  and  a  bed  by  night.  There  are  windows,  blinds,  and 
a  canvas  cover  at  the  sides,  so  that  we  can  regulate  our  light 
and  air  as  we  choose.  In  the  middle  of  the  cabin  is  our  table 
and  two  camp  stools,  while  shawls,  capotes,  pistols,  sabre  and 
gun  are  suspended  from  the  walls.  A  little  door  at  the  further 
end  opens  into  a  wash-room,  beyond  which  is  a  smaller  cabin 
with  beds,  which  we  have  alloted  to  Achmet's  use.  Our  cook 
sleeps  on  deck,  with  his  head  against  the  provision  chest     The 


90  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

rais  and  pilot  sleep  on  the  roof  of  our  cabin,  where  the  latter 
sits  all  day,  holding  the  long  arm  of  the  rudder,  which  projects 
forward  over  the  cabin  from  the  high  end  of  the  stern. 

Our  manner  of  life  is  simple,  and  might  even  be  called 
monotonous,  but  we  have  never  found  the  greatest  variety  of 
landscape  and  incident  so  thoroughly  enjoyable.  The  scenery 
of  the  Nile,  thus  far,  scarcely  changes  from  day  to  day,  in  its 
forms  and  colors,  but  only  in  their  disposition  with  regard  to 
each  other.  The  shores  are  either  palm-groves,  fields  of  cane 
and  dourra,  young  wheat,  or  patches  of  bare  sand,  blown  out 
from  the  desert.  The  villages  are  all  the  same  agglomerations 
of  mud-walls,  the  tombs  of  the  Moslem  saints  are  the  same 
white  ovens,  and  every  individual  camel  and  buffalo  resembles 
its  neighbor  in  picturesque  ugliness.  The  Arabian  and  Libyan 
Mountains,  now  sweeping  so  far  into  the  foreground  that  their 
yellow  cliffs  overhang  the  Nile,  now  receding  into  the  violet 
haze  of  the  horizon,  exhibit  little  difference  of  height,  hue, 
or  geological  formation.  Every  new  scene  is  the  turn  of 
a  kaleidoscope,  in  which  the  sime  objects  are  grouped  in 
other  relations,  yet  always  characterized  by  the  most  perfect 
harmony.  These  slight,  yet  ever-renewing  changes,  are  to  us 
a  source  of  endless  delight.  Either  from  the  pure  atmosphere, 
the  healthy  life  we  lead,  or  the  accordant  tone  of  our  spirits, 
we  find  ourselves  unusually  sensitive  to  all  the  slightest  touches, 
the  most  minute  rays  of  that  grace  and  harmony  which  bathes 
every  landscape  in  cloudless  sunshine.  The  various  groupings 
of  the  palms,  the  shifting  of  the  blue  evening  shadows  on  the 
rose-hued  mountain  walls,  the  green  of  the  wheat  and  sugar- 
cane, the  windings  of  the  great  river,  the  alternations  of  wind  and 
calm — each  of  these  is  enough  to  content  us,  and  to  give  every 


MANNER    OF    LIVING.  91 

day  a  different  charm  from  that  which  went  before.  We  meet 
contrary  winds,  calms  and  sand-banks  without  losing  our 
patience,  and  even  our  excitement  in  the  swiftness  and  grace 
with  which  our  vessel  scuds  before  the  north-wind  is  mingled 
with  a  regret  that  our  journey  is  drawing  so  much  the  more 
swiftly  to  its  close.  A  portion  of  the  old  Egyptian  repose 
seems  to  be  infused  into  our  natures,  and  lately,  when  I  saw 
my  face  in  a  mirror,  I  thought  I  perceived  in  its  features  some- 
thing of  the  patience  and  resignation  of  the  Sphinx. 

Although,  in  order  to  enjoy  this  life  as  much  as  possible, 
we  subject  ourselves  to  no  arbitrary  rules,  there  is  sufficient 
regularity  in  our  manner  of  living.  We  rise  before  the  sun, 
and  after  breathing  the  cool  morning  air  half  an  hour,  drink  a 
cup  of  coffee  and  go  ashore  for  a  walk,  unless  the  wind  is  very 
strong  in  our  favor.  My  friend,  who  is  an  enthusiastic  sports- 
man and  an  admirable  shot,  takes  his  fowling-piece,  and  I  my 
sketch-book  and  pistols.  We  wander  inland  among  the  fields 
of  wheat  and  dourra,  course  among  the  palms  and  acacias  for 
game,  or  visit  the  villages  of  the  Fellahs.  The  temperature, 
which  is  about  60°  in  the  morning,  rarely  rises  above  75°,  so 
that  we  have  every  day  three  or  four  hours  exercise  in  the  mild 
and  pure  air.  My  friend  always  brings  back  from  one  to  two 
dozen  pigeons,  while  I,  who  practise  with  my  pistol  on  such 
ignoble  game  as  hawks  and  vultures,  which  are  here  hardly  shy 
enough  to  shoot,  can  at  the  best  but  furnish  a  few  wing  fea- 
thers to  clean  our  pipes. 

It  is  advisable  to  go  armed  on  these  excursions,  though 
there  is  no  danger  of  open  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  people. 
Certain  neighborhoods,  as  that  of  Beni  Hassan,  are  in  bad 
repute,  but  the  depredations  of  the  inhabitants,  who  have  been 
disarmed  by  the  Government,  are  principally  confined  to  thiev- 


92  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

ing  and  other  petty  offences.  On  one  occasion  I  fell  in  with  a 
company  of  these  people,  who  demanded  my  tarboosh,  shoes 
and  shawl,  and  would  have  taken  them  had  I  not  been  armed. 
In  general,  we  have  found  the  Fellahs  very  friendly  and  well 
disposed.  They  greet  us  on  our  morning  walks  with  "  Sola- 
mat !  "  and  "  Sdbah  el  Klieyr  !  "  and  frequently  accompany  us 
for  miles.  My  friend's  fowling-piece  often  brings  around  him 
all  the  men  and  boys  of  a  village,  who  follow  him  as  long  as  a 
pigeon  is  to  be  found  on  the  palm-trees.  The  certainty  of  his 
shot  excites  their  wonder.  "  Wallah  !  "  they  cry ;  "  every 
time  the  Howadji  fires,  the  bird  drops."  The  fact  of  my  wear- 
ing a  tarboosh  and  white  turban  brings  upon  me  much  Arabic 
conversation,  which  is  somewhat  embarrassing,  with  my  imper- 
fect knowledge  of  the  language ;  but  a  few  words  go  a  great 
way.  The  first  day  I  adopted  this  head-dress  (which  is  conve- 
nient and  agreeable  in  every  respect),  the  people  saluted  me 
with  "  good  miming,  0  Sidi  ! "  (Sir,  or  Lord)  instead  of  the 
usual  "goou  morning,  0  Howadji!"  (i.  e.  merchant,  as  the 
Franks  are  rather  contemptuously  designated  by  the  Arabs). 

For  this  climate  and  this  way  of  life,  the  Egyptian  costume 
is  undoubtedly  much  better  than  the  European.  It  is  light, 
cool,  and  does  not  impede  the  motion  of  the  limbs.  The  turban 
thoroughly  protects  the  head  against  the  sun,  and  shades  the 
eyes,  while  it  obstructs  the  vision  much  less  than  a  hat-brim. 
The  broad  silk  shawl  which  holds  up  the  baggy  trowsers,  shields 
the  abdomen  against  changes  of  temperature  and  tends  to  pre- 
vent diarrhoea,  which,  besides  ophthalmia,  is  the  only  ailment  the 
traveller  need  fear.  The  latter  disease  may  be  avoided  by 
bathing  the  face  in  cold  water  after  walking  or  any  exercise 
which  induces  perspiration.  I  have  followed  this  plan,  and 
though  ray  eyes  are  exposed  daily  to  the  full  blaze  of  the  sun, 


PROGRAMME    OF    A    DAY  S    LIFE.  93 

find  them  growing  stronger  and  clearer.  In  fact,  siuce  leaving 
the  invigorating  camp-life  of  California,  I  have  not  felt  the 
sensation  of  health  so  purely  as  now.  The  other  day,  to  the 
great  delight  of  our  sailors  and  the  inexhaustible  merriment  of 
my  friend,  I  donned  one  of  Achmet's  dresses.  Though  the 
short  Theban's  flowing  trowsers  and  embroidered  jacket  gave 
me  the  appearance  of  a  strapping  Turk,  who  had  grown  too 
fast  for  his  garments,  they  were  so  easy  and  convenient  in 
every  respect,  that  I  have  decided  to  un-Frank  myself  for  the 
remainder  of  the  journey. 

But  our  day  is  not  yet  at  an  end.  We  come  on  board 
about  eleven  o'clock,  and  find  our  breakfast  ready  for  the  table. 
The  dishes  are  few,  but  well  cooked,  and  just  what  a  hungry 
man  would  desire — fowls,  pigeons,  eggs,  rice,  vegetables,  fruit, 
the  coarse  but  nourishing  bread  of  the  country,  and  the  sweet 
water  of  the  Nile,  brought  to  a  blush  by  an  infusion  of  claret. 
After  breakfast  we  seat  ourselves  on  the  airy  divans  in  front 
of  the  cabin,  and  quietly  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a  shebook, 
filled  by  Achmet's  experienced  hand,  and  a  Jinjan  of  Turkish 
coffee.  Then  comes  an  hour's  exercise  in  Arabic,  after  which 
we  read  guide-books,  consult  our  maps,  write  letters,  and  occupy 
ourselves  with  various  mysteries  of  our  household,  till  the 
noonday  heat  is  over.  Dinner,  which  is  served  between  four 
and  five  o'clock,  is  of  the  same  materials  as  our  breakfast,  but 
differently  arranged,  and  with  the  addition  of  soup.  My  friend 
avers  that  he  no  longer  wonders  why  Esau  sold  his  birthright, 
now  that  he  has  tasted  our  pottage  of  Egyptian  lentils.  Coffee 
and  pipes  follow  dinner,  which  is  over  with  the  first  flush  of 
sunset  and  the  first  premonition  of  the  coolness  and  juiet  of 
evening. 


9i  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

We  scat  ourselves  on  deck,  and  drink  to  its  fulness  the 
balm  of  this  indescribable  repose.  The  sun  goes  down  behind 
the  Libyan  Desert  in  a  broad  glory  of  purple  and  rosy  lights ; 
the  Nile  is  calm  and  unruffled,  the  palms  stand  as  if  sculptured 
in  jasper  and  malachite,  and  the  torn  and  ragged  sides  of  the 
Arabian  Mountains,  pouring  through  a  hundred  fissures  thf* 
sand  of  the  plains  above,  burn  with  a  deep  crimson  lustre,  as 
if  smouldering  from  some  inward  fire.  The  splendor  soon 
passes  off  and  they  stand  for  some  minutes  in  dead,  ashy  pale- 
ness. The  sunset  has  now  deepened  into  orange,  in  the  midst 
of  which  a  large  planet  shines  whiter  than  the  moon.  A 
second  glow  falls  upon  the  mountains,  and  this  time  of  a  pale, 
but  intense  yellow  hue,  which  gives  them  the  effect  of  a  trans- 
parent painting.  The  palm-groves  are  dark  below  and  the  sky 
dark  behind  them ;  they  alone,  the  symbols  of  perpetual  deso- 
lation, are  transfigured  by  the  magical  illumination.  Scarcely 
a  sound  disturbs  the  solemn  magnificence  of  the  hour.  Even 
our  full-throated  Arabs  are  silent,  and  if  a  wave  gurgles 
against  the  prow,  it  slides  softly  back  into  the  river,  as  if  re- 
buked for  the  venture.  We  speak  but  little,  and  then  mostly 
in  echoes  of  each  other's  thoughts.  "  This  is  more  than  mere 
enjoyment  of  Nature,"  said  my  friend,  on  such  an  evening : 
"  it  is  worship." 

Speaking  of  my  friend,  it  is  no  more  than  just  that  I 
should  confess  how  much  of  the  luck  of  this  Nile  voyage  is 
owing  to  him,  and  therein  may  be  the  secret  of  my  complete 
satisfaction  and  the  secret  of  the  disappointment  of  others.  It 
is  more  easy  and  yet  more  difficult  for  persons  to  harmonize 
while  travelling,  than  when  at  home.  By  this  I  mean,  that 
men  of  kindred  natures  and  aims  find  each  other  more'  readily 


MY    COMRADE.  95 

and  confide  in  each  other  more  freely,  while  the  least  jarring 
element  rapidly  drives  others  further  and  further  apart.  No 
confessional  so  completely  reveals  the  whole  man  as  the  com- 
panionship of  travel.  It  is  not  possible  to  wear  the  conven- 
tional masks  of  Society,  and  one  repulsive  feature  is  often 
enough  to  neutralize  many  really  good  qualities.  On  the  other 
hand,  a  congeniality  of  soul  and  temperament  speedily  ripens 
into  the  firmest  friendship  and  doubles  every  pleasure  which  is 
mutually  enjoyed.  My  companion  widely  differs  from  me  in 
age,  in  station,  and  in  his  experiences  of  life ;  but  to  one  of 
those  open,  honest  and  loving  natures  which  are  often  found  in 
his  native  Saxony,  he  unites  a  most  warm  and  thorough  appre- 
ciation of  Beauty  in  Nature  or  Art.  We  harmonize  to  a  mir- 
acle, and  the  parting  with  him  at  Assouan  will  be  the  sorest 
pang  of  my  journey. 

My  friend,  the  Howadji,  in  whose  "Nile-Notes"  the 
Egyptian  atmosphere  is  so  perfectly  reproduced,  says  that 
"  Conscience  falls  asleep  on  the  Nile."  If  by  this  he  means 
that  artificial  quality  which  bigots  and  sectarians  call  Con- 
science, I  quite  agree  with  him,  and  do  not  blame  the  Nile  for 
its  soporific  powers.  But  that  simple  faculty  of  the  soul,  na- 
tive to  all  men,  which  acts  best  when  it  acts  unconsciously, 
and  leads  our  passions  and  desires  into  right  paths  without 
seeming  to  lead  them,  is  vastly  strengthened  by  this  quiet  and 
healthy  life.  There  is  a  cathedral-like  solemnity  in  the  air  of 
Egypt ;  one  feels  the  presence  of  the  altar,  and  is  a  better 
man  without  his  will.  To  those  rendered  misanthropic  by 
disappointed  ambition — mistrustful  by  betrayed  confidence — 
despairing  by  unassuageable  sorrow — let  me  repeat  the  motto 
which  heads  this  chapter. 


9G  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

I  have  endeavored  to  picture  our  mode  of  life  as  faithfully 
and  minutely  as  possible,  because  it  bears  no  resemblance  to 
travel  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  Into  the  neart  of  a 
barbarous  continent  and  a  barbarous  land,  we  carry  with  us 
every  desirable  comfort  and  luxury.  In  no  part  of  Europe  or 
America  could  we  be  so  thoroughly  independent,  without  un- 
dergoing considerable  privations,  and  wholly  losing  that  sense 
of  rest  which  is  the  greatest  enjoyment  of  this  journey.  We 
are  cut  off  from  all  communication  with  the  great  world  of 
politics,  merchandise  and  usury,  and  remember  it  only  through 
the  heart,  not  through  the  brain.  We  go  ashore  in  the  deli- 
cious mornings,  breathe  the  elastic  air,  and  wander  through 
the  palm-groves,  as  happy  and  care-free  as  two  Adams  in  a 
Paradise  without  Eves.  It  is  an  episode  which  will  flow  for- 
ward-in  the  under-currents  of  our  natures  through  the  rest  of 
our  lives,  soothing  and  refreshing  us  whenever  it  rises  to  the 
surface.  I  do  not  reproach  myself  for  this  passive  and  sensu- 
ous existence.  I  give  myself  up  to  it  unreservedly,  and  if 
some  angular-souled  utilitarian  should  come  along  and  recom 
mend  me  to  shake  off  my  laziness,  and  learn  the  conjugations 
of  Coptic  verbs  or  the  hieroglyphs  of  Kneph  and  Thoth,  I 
should  not  take  the  pipe  from  my  mouth  to  answer  him.  My 
friend  sometimes  laughingly  addresses  me  with  two  lines  of 
Hebel  s  quaint  Allemanic  poetry  : 

"  Ei  soldi  a  Leben,  junges  Bluat, 
Desh  ish  wohl  fiir  a  Thierle  guat." 

(such  a  life,  young  blood,  best  befits  an  animal),  but  I  tell  him 
that  the  wisdom  of  the  Black  Forest  won't  answer  for  the 
Nile.     If  any  one  persists  in  forcing  the  application,  I  prefer 


OBSERVATION    VS.  DESCRIPTION.  97 

being  called  an  animal  to  changing  my  present  habits.  An 
entire  life  so  spent  would  be  wretchedly  aimless,  but  a  few 
months  are  in  truth  "  sore  labor's  bath  "  to  every  wrung  heart 
and  overworked  brain. 

I  could  say  much  more,  but  it  requires  no  little  effort  to 
write  three  hours  in  a  cabin,  when  the  palms  are  rustling  their 
tops  outside,  the  larks  singing  in  the  meadows,  and  the  odor  of 
mimosa  flowers  breathing  through  the  windows.  To  travel  and 
write,  is  like  inhaling  and  exhaling  one's  breath  at  the  same 
moment.  You  take  in  impressions  at  every  pore  of  the  mind, 
and  the  process  is  so  pleasant,  that  you  sweat  them  out  again 
most  reluctantly.  Lest  I  should  overtake  the  remedy  with 
the  disease,  and  make  to-day  Labor,  which  should*  be  Rest,  1 
shall  throw  down  the  pen,  and  mount  yonder  donkey  which 
stands  patiently  on  the  bank,  waiting  to  carry  me  to  Siout 
once  more,  before  starting  for  Thebe?. 


98  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL   AFRICA. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

UPPER      EGYPT. 

Calm — Mountains  and  Tombs — A  Night  Adventure  in  Ekhmin — Character  of  the 
Boatmen— Fair  "Wind— Pilgrims— Egyptian  Agriculture— Sugar  and  Cotton— Grain 
— Sheep — Arrival  at  Kenneh — A  Landscape — The  Temple  of  Dendera — First  Im- 
pressions of  Egyptian  Art — Portrait  of  Cleopatra — A  Happy  Meeting — We  approach 
Thebes. 

Our  men  were  ready  at  the  appointed  time,  and  precisely 
twenty-four  hours  after  reaching  the  port  of  Siout  we  spread 
our  sails  for  Kenneh,  and  exchanged  a  parting  salute  with  the 
boat  of  a  New  York  physician,  which  arrived  some  hours  after 
us.  The  north  wind,  which  had  been  blowing  freshly  during 
the  whole  of  our  stay,  failed  us  almost  within  sight  of  the  port, 
and  was  followed  by  three  days  of  breathless  calm,  during 
which  time  we  made  about  twelve  miles  a  day,  by  towing 
My  friend  and  I  spent  half  the  time  on  shore,  wandering  in 
land  through  the  fields  and  making  acquaintances  in  the  vil 
lages.  We  found  such  tours  highly  interesting  and  refreshing 
but  nevertheless  always  returned  to  our  floating  Castle  of  In 
dolence,  doubly  delighted  with  its  home-like  cabin  and  lazy  di 
vans.  Many  of  the  villages  in  this  region  are  built  among  the 
mounds  of  ancient  cities,  the  names  whereof  are  faithfully  enu- 
merated in  the  guide-book,  but  as  the  cities  themselves  have 


MOUNTAINS,    TOMBS    AND    RUINS.  09 

wholly  disappeared,  we  were  spared  the  necessity  of  seeking 
for  their  ruins. 

On  the  third  night  after  leaving  Siout,  we  passed  the  vil- 
lage of  G-ow  el-Kebir,  the  ancient  Antaeopolis,  whose  beautiful 
temple  has  been  entirely  destroyed  during  the  last  twenty-five 
years,  partly  washed  away  by  the  Nile  and  partly  pulled  down 
to  furnish  materials  for  the  Pasha's  palace  at  Siout.  Near 
this  the  famous  battle  between  Hercules  and  Antaeus  is  re- 
ported to  have  taken  place.  The  fable  of  Antaeus  drawing 
strength  from  the  earth  appears  quite  natural,  after  one  has 
seen  the  fatness  of  the  soil  of  Upper  Egypt.  We  ran  the 
gauntlet  of  Djebel  Shekh  Hereedee,  a  mountain  similar  to 
Aboufayda  in  form,  but  much  more  lofty  and  imposing.  It 
has  also  its  legend :  A  miraculous  serpent,  say  the  Arabs,  has 
lived  for  centuries  in  its  caverns,  and  possesses  the  power  of 
healing  diseases.  All  these  mountains,  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  Nile,  are  pierced  with  tombs,  and  the  openings  are 
sometimes  so  frequent  and  so  near  to  each  other  as  to  resem- 
ble a  colonnade  along  the  rocky  crests.  They  rarely  contain 
inscriptions,  and  many  of  them  were  inhabited  by  hermits  and 
holy  men,  during  the  early  ages  of  Christianity.  At  the  most 
accessible  points  the  Egyptians  have  commenced  limestone 
quarries,  and  as  they  are  more  concerned  in  preserving  piastres 
than  tombs,  their  venerable  ancestors  are  dislodged  without 
scruple.  Whoever  is  interested  in  Egyptian  antiquities, 
should  not  postpone  his  visit  longer.  Not  only  Turks,  but 
Europeans  are  engaged  in  the  work  of  demolition,  and  the  very 
antiquarians  who  profess  the  greatest  enthusiasm  for  these" 
monuments,  are  ruthless  Vandals  towards  them  when  they 
have  the  power. 


100  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

We  dashed  past  the  mountain  of  Shekh  Hereedee  in  gal- 
lant style,  and  the  same  night,  after  dusk,  reached  Ekhmin, 
the  ancient  Panopolis.  This  was  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in 
Egypt,  and  dedicated  to  the  Phallic  worship,  whose  first  sym- 
bol, the  obelisk,  has  now  a  purely  monumental  significance. 
A  few  remnants  of  this  singular  ancient  faith  appear  to  be  re- 
tained among  the  modern  inhabitants  of  Ekhmin,  but  only  in 
the  grossest  superstitions,  and  without  reference  to  the  ab- 
stract creative  principle  typified  by  the  Phallic  emblems. 
The  early  Egyptians  surrounded  with  mystery  and  honored 
with  all  religious  solemnity  what  they  regarded  as  the  highest 
human  miracle  wrought  by  the  power  of  their  gods,  and  in  a 
philosophical  point  of  view,  there  is  no  branch  of  their  com- 
plex faith  more  interesting  than  this. 

As  we  sat  on  the  bank  in  the  moonlight,  quietly  smoking 
our  pipes,  the  howling  of  a  company  of  dervishes  sounded  from 
the  town,  whose  walls  are  a  few  hundred  paces  distant  from 
the  river.  We  inquired  of  the  guard  whether  a  Frank  dare 
visit  them.  He  could  not  tell,  but  offered  to  accompany  me 
and  try  to  procure  an  entrance.  I  took  Achmet  and  two  of 
our  sailors,  donned  a  Bedouin  capote,  and  set  out  in  search  of 
the.dervishes.  The  principal  gate  of  the  town  was  closed,  and 
my  men  battered  it  vainly  with  their  clubs,  to  rouse  the  guard. 
We  wandered  for  some  time  among  the  mounds  of  Panopolis, 
stumbling  over  blocks  of  marble  and  granite,  under  palms 
eighty  feet  high,  standing  clear  and  silvery  in  the  moonlight. 
At  last,  the  clamor  of  the  wolfish  dogs  we  waked  up  on  the 
road,  brought  us  one  of  the  watchers  outside  of  the  walls, 
whom  we  requested  to  admit  us  into  the  city.  He  replied 
that  this  could  not  be  done.     "  But,"  said  Achmet,  "  here  is 


A    NIGHT    ADVENTURE.  101 

an  Effendi  who  has  just  arrived,  and  must  visit  the  niollahs 
to-night ;  admit  him  and  fear  nothing."  The  men  thereupon 
conducted  us  to  another  gate  and  threw  a  few  pebbles  against 
the  window  above  it.  A  woman's  voice  replied,  and  presently 
the  bolts  were  undrawn  and  we  entered.  By  this  time  the 
dervishes  had  ceased  their  bowlings,  and  e\ery  thing  was  as 
still  as  death.  We  walked  for  half  an  hour  through  the  de- 
serted streets,  visited  the  mosques  and  public  buildings,  and 
heard  no  sound  but  our  own  steps.  It  was  a  strangely  inter- 
esting promenade,  The  Arabs,  armed  with  clubs,  carried  a 
paper  lantern,  which  nickered  redly  on  the  arches  and  courts 
we  passed  through.  My  trusty  Theban  walked  by  my  side, 
and  took  all  possible  trouble  to  find  the  retreat  of  the  der- 
vishes— but  in  vain.  We  passed  out  through  the  gate,  which 
was  instantly  locked  behind  us,  and  had  barely  reached  our 
vessel,  when  the  unearthly  song  of  the  Moslem  priests,  louder 
and  wilder  than  ever,  came  to  our  ears. 

The  prejudice  of  the  Mohammedans  against  the  Christians 
is  wearing  away  with  their  familiarity  with  the  Frank  dress 
and  their  adoption  of  Frankish  vices.  The  Prophet's  injunc- 
tion against  wine  is  heeded  by  few  of  his  followers,  or  avoided 
by  drinking  arakee,  a  liquor  distilled  from  dates  and  often  fla- 
vored with  hemp.  Their  conscience  is  generally  satisfied  with 
a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  and  the  daily  performance  of  the  pre- 
scribed prayers,  though  the  latter  is  often  neglected.  All  of 
my  sailors  were  very  punctual  in  this  respect,  spreading  their 
carpets  on  the  forward  deck,  and  occupying  an  hour  or  two 
every  day  with  genuflexions,  prostrations,  and  salutations  to- 
ward Mecca,  the  direction  of  which  they  never  lost,  notwith- 
standing the  windings  of  the  Nile.     In  tbe  cathedrals  of  Chris- 


102  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

tian  Europe  I  have  often  seen  pantomimes  quite  as  unneces- 
sary, performed  with  less  apparent  reverence.  The  people  of 
Egypt  are  fully  as  honest  and  well-disposed  as  the  greater 
part  of  the  Italian  peasantry.  They  sometimes  deceive  in 
small  things,  and  are  inclined  to  take  trifling  advantages,  but 
that  is  the  natural  result  of  living  under  a  government  whose 
only  rule  is  force,  and  which  does  not  even  hesitate  to  use 
fraud.  Their  good  humor  is  inexhaustible.  A  single  friendly 
word  wins  them,  and  even  a  little  severity  awakes  no  lasting 
feeling  of  revenge.  I  should  much  rather  trust  myself  alone 
among  the  Egyptian  Fellahs,  than  among  the  peasants  of  the 
Campagna,  or  the  boors  of  Carinthia.  Notwithstanding  our 
men  had  daily  opportunities  of  plundering  us,  we  never  missed 
a  single  article.  We  frequently  went  ashore  with  our  drago- 
man, leaving  every  thing  in  the  cabin  exposed,  and  especially 
such  articles  as  tobacco,  shot,  dates,  &c,  which  would  most 
tempt  an  Arab,  yet  our  confidence  was  never  betrayed.  Wf 
often  heard  complaints  from  travellers  in  other  boats,  but  I 
am  satisfied  that  any  one  who  will  enforce  obedience  at  the 
start,  and  thereafter  give  none  but  just  and  reasonable  com 
mands,  need  have  no  difficulty  with  his  crew. 

The  next  morning,  the  wind  being  light,  we  walked  for- 
ward to  El  Menschieh,  a  town  about  nine  miles  distant  from 
Ekhmin.  It  was  market-day,  and  the  bazaar  was  crowded 
with  the  countrymen,  who  had  brought  their  stock  of  grain, 
sugar-cane  and  vegetables.  The  men  were  taller  and  more 
muscular  than  in  Lower  Egypt,  and  were  evidently  descended 
from  a  more  intelligent  and  energetic  stock.  They  looked  at 
us  curiously,  but  with  a  sort  of  friendly  interest,  and  cour- 
teously made  way  for  us  as  we  passed  through  the  narrow  ba- 


EGYPTIAN    AGRICULTURE.  103 

zaar.  In  the  afternoon  the  wind  increased  to  a  small  gale,  and 
bore  us  rapidly  past  Gebel  Tookh  to  the  city  of  Girgeh.  so 
named  in  Coptic  times  from  the  Christian  saint,  George. 
Like  Manfalout,  it  has  been  half  washed  away  by  the  Nile, 
and  two  lofty  minarets  were  hanging  on  the  brink  of  the  slip- 
pery bank,  awaiting  their  turn  to  fall.  About  twelve  miles 
from  Girgeh,  in  the  Libyan  Desert,  are  the  ruins  of  Abydus, 
now  covered  by  the  sand,  except  the  top  of  the  portico  and 
roof  of  the  temple-palace  of  Sesostris,  and  part  of  the  temple 
of  Osiris.  We  held  a  council  whether  we  should  waste  the 
favorable  wind  or  miss  Abydus,  and  the  testimony  of  Achmet, 
who  had  visited  the  ruins,  having  been  taken,  we  chose  the 
latter  alternative.  By  this  time  Girgeh  was  nearly  out  of 
sight,  and  we  comforted  ourselves  with  the  hope  of  soon  see- 
ing Dendera. 

The  pilgrims  to  Mecca,  by  the  Kcnneh  and  Kosseir  route, 
were  on  their  return,  and  we  met  a  number  of  boats,  crowded 
with  them,  on  their  way  to  Cairo  from  the  former  place. 
Most  of  the  boats  carried  the  red  flag,  with  the  star  and  cres- 
cent. On  the  morning  after  leaving  Girgeh,  we  took  a  long 
stroll  through  the  fields  of  Farshoot,  which  is,  after  Siout,  the 
richest  agricultural  district  of  Upper  Egypt.  An  excellent 
system  of  irrigation,  by  means  of  canals,  is  kept  up,  and  the 
result  shows  what  might  be  made  of  Egypt,  were  its  great  nat- 
ural resources  rightly  employed.  The  Nile  offers  a  perpetual 
fountain  of  plenty  and  prosperity,  and  its  long  valley,  from 
Nubia  to  the  sea,  would  become,  in  other  hands,  the  garden  of 
the  world.  So  rich  and  pregnant  a  soil  I  have  never  seen. 
Here,  side  by  side,  flourish  wheat,  maize,  cotton,  sugar-cane, 
indigo,  hemp,  rice,  dourra,  tobacco,  olives,  dates,  oranges,  and 


104  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  vegetables  and  fruits  of  nearly  every  climate.  The  wheat, 
which,  in  November,  we  found  young  and  green,  would  iu 
March  be  ripe  for  the  sickle,  and  the  people  were  cutting  and 
threshing  fields  of  dourra,  which  they  had  planted  towards  the 
end  of  summer.  Except  where  the  broad  meadows  are  first  re- 
claimed from  the  rank,  tufted  grass  which  has  taken  posses- 
sion of  them,  the  wheat  is  sowed  upon  the  ground,  and  then 
ploughed  in  by  a  sort  of  crooked  wooden  beam,  shod  with  iron, 
and  drawn  by  two  camels  or  buffaloes.  I  saw  no  instance  in 
which  the  soil  was  manured.  The  yearly  deposit  made  by  the 
bountiful  river  seems  to  be  sufficient.  The  natives,  it  is  true, 
possess  immense  numbers  of  pigeons,  and  every  village  is 
adorned  with  towers,  rising  above  the  mud  huts  like  the  py- 
lons of  temples,  and  inhabited  by  these  birds.  The  manure 
collected  from  them  is  said  to  be  used,  but  probably  only  in 
the  culture  of  melons,  cucumbers,  and  other  like  vegetables 
with  which  the  gardens  are  stocked. 

The  fields  of  sugar-cane  about  Farshoot  were  the  richest  I 
saw  in  Egypt.  Near  the  village,  which  is  three  miles  from  the 
Nile,  there  is  a  steam  sugar-refinery,  established  by  Ibrahim 
Pasha,  who  seems  to  have  devoted  much  attention  to  the  cul- 
ture of  cane,  with  a  view  to  his  own  profit.  There  are  several 
of  these  manufactories  along  the  Nile,  and  the  most  of  them 
were  in  full  operation,  as  we  passed.  At  Radamoon,  between 
Minyeh  and  Siout,  there  is  a  large  manufactory,  where  the 
common  coarse  sugar  made  in  the  Fellah  villages  is  refined  and 
sent  to  Cairo.  We  made  use  of  this  sugar  in  our  household, 
and  found  it  to  be  of  excellent  quality,  though  coarser  than 
that  of  the  American  manufactories.  The  culture  of  cotton 
has  not  been  so  successful.     The  large  and  handsome  manufac- 


VEGETABLES    AND    GRAIN.  105 

tory  built  at  Kenneh,  is  no  longer  in  operation,  and  the  fields 
which  we  saw  there,  had  a  forlorn,  neglected  appearance.  The 
plants  grow  luxuriantly,  and  the  cotton  is  of  fine  quality,  but 
the  pods  are  small  and  not  very  abundant.  About  Siout,  and 
in  Middle  and  Lower  Egypt,  we  saw  many  fields  of  indigo, 
which  is  said  to  thrive  well.  Peas,  beans  and  lentils  are  cul- 
tivated to  a  great  extent,  and  form  an  important  item  of  the 
food  of  the  inhabitants.  The  only  vegetables  we  could  procure 
for  our  kitchen,  were  onions,  radishes,  lettuce  and  spinage. 
The  Arabs  are  very  fond  of  the  tops  of  radishes,  and  eat  them 
with  as  much  relish  as  their  donkeys. 

One  of  the  principal  staples  of  Egypt  is  the  dourra  (holcus 
sorghum),  which  resembles  the  zea  (maize)  in  many  respects. 
In  appearance,  it  is  very  like  broom-corn,  but  instead  of 
the  long,  loose  panicle  of  red  seeds,  is  topped  by  a  compact  cone 
of  grains,  smaller  than  those  of  maize,  but  resembling  them  in 
form  and  taste.  The  stalks  are  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high, 
and  the  heads  frequently  contain  as  much  substance  as  two  ears 
of  maize.  It  is  planted  in  close  rows,  and  when  ripe  is  cut  by 
the  hand  with  a  short  sickle,  after  which  the  heads  are  taken 
off  and  threshed  separately.  The  grain  is  fed  to  horses,  don- 
keys and  fowls,  and  in  Upper  Egypt  is  used  almost  universally 
for  bread.  It  is  of  course  very  imperfectly  ground,  and  unbolt- 
ed, and  the  bread  is  coarse  and  dark,  though  nourishing.  In 
the  Middle  and  Southern  States  of  America  this  grain  would 
thrive  well  and  might  be  introduced  with  advantage. 

The  plains  of  coarse,  wiry  grass   (half  eh),  which  in  many 

points  on  the  Nile  show  plainly  the  neglect  of  the  inhabitants, 

who  by  a  year's  labor  might  convert  them  into  blooming  fields, 

are  devoted  to  the  pasturage  of  large  herds  of  sheep,  and  goats, 

5* 


106  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

and  sometimes  droves  of  buffaloes.  The  sheep  are  all  black  or 
dark-brown,  and  their  bushy  heads  remind  one  of  terriers. 
The  wool  is  rather  coarse,  and  when  roughly  spun  and  woven 
by  the  Arabs,  in  its  natural  color,  forms  the  mantle,  something 
like  a  Spanish  poncho,  which  is  usually  the  Fellah's  only  gar- 
ment. The  mutton,  almost  the  only  meat  to  be  found,  is  gen- 
erally lean,  and  brings  a  high  price,  considering  the  abundance 
of  sheep.  The  flesh  of  buffaloes  is  eaten  by  the  Arabs,  but  is 
too  tough,  and  has  too  rank  a  flavor,  for  Christian  stomachs. 
The  goats  are  beautiful  animals,  with  heads  as  slender  and 
delicate  as  those  of  gazelles.  They  have  short,  black  horns, 
curving  downward — long,  silky  ears,  and  a  peculiarly  mild  and 
friendly  expression  of  countenance.  We  had  no  difficulty  in 
procuring  milk  in  the  villages,  and  sometimes  -fresh  butter, 
which  was  more  agreeable  to  the  taste  than  the  sight.  The  mode 
of  churning  is  not  calculated  to  excite  one's  appetite.  The 
milk  is  tied  up  in  a  goat's  skin,  and  suspended  by  a  rope  to 
the  branch  of  a  tree.  One  of  the  Arab  housewives  (who  are 
all  astonishingly  ugly  and  filthy)  then  stations  herself  on  one 
side,  and  propels  it  backward  and  forward  till  the  process  is 
completed.  The  cheese  of  the  country  resembles  a  mixture  of 
sand  and  slacked  lime,  and  has  an  abominable  flavor. 

Leaving  Farshoot,  we  swept  rapidly  past  Haou,  the  ancient 
Viospolis  parva,  or  Little  Thebes,  of  which  nothing  is  left  but 
some  heaps  of  dirt,  sculptured  fragments,  and  the  tomb  of  a 
certain  Dionysius,  son  of  a  certain  Ptolemy.  The  course  of 
the  mountains,  which  follow  the  Nile,  is  here  nearly  east  and 
west,*  as  the  river  makes  a  long  curve  to  the  eastward  on  ap- 
proaching Kenneh.  The  valley  is  inclosed  within  narrower 
bounds,  and  the  Arabian  Mountains  on  the  north,  shooting  out 


KENNEH.  107 

into  bold  promontories  from  the  main  chain,  sometimes  rise 
from  the  water's  edge  in  bluffs  many  hundred  feet  in  height. 
The  good  wind,  which  had  so  befriended  us  for  three  days,  fol- 
lowed us  all  night,  and  when  we  awoke  on  the  morning  of  De- 
cember 4th,  our  vessel  lay  at  anchor  in  the  port  of  Kenneh, 
having  beaten  by  four  hours  the  boat  of  our  American  friend, 
which  was  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  swiftest  on  the  river. 

Kenneh,  which  lies  about  a  mile  east  of  the  river,  is  cele- 
brated for  the  manufacture  of  porous  water-jars,  and  is  an  infe- 
rior mart  of  trade  with  Persia  and  India,  by  means  of  Kosseir, 
on  the  Red  Sea,  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  distant.  The 
town  is  large,  but  mean  in  aspect,  and  does  not  offer  a  single 
object  of  interest.  It  lies  in  the  centre  of  a  broad  plain.  We 
rode  through  the  bazaars,  which  were  tolerably  well  stocked 
and  crowded  with  hadji,  or  pilgrims  of  Mecca,  My  friend, 
who  wished  to  make  a  flag  of  the  Saxe-Coburg  colors,  for  his 
return  voyage,  tried  in  vain  to  procure  a  piece  of  green  cotton 
cloth.  Every  other  color  was  to  be  had  but  green,  which,  as 
the  sacred  hue,  worn  only  by  the  descendants  of  Mohammed, 
was  nowhere  to  be  found.  He  was  finally  obliged  to  buy  a 
piece  of  white  stuff  and  have  it  specially  dyed.  It  came  back 
the  same  evening,  precisely  the  color  of  the  Shereef  of  Mecca's 
turban. 

On  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile,  opposite  Kenneh,  is  the 
site  of  the  city  of  Tentyra,  famed  for  its  temple  of  Athor. 
It  is  now  called  Dendera,  from  the  modern  Arab  village. 
After  breakfast,  we  shipped  ourselves  and  our  donkeys  across 
the  Nile,  and  rode  off  in  high  excitement,  to  make  our  first 
acquaintance  with  Egyptian  temples.  The  path  led  through  a 
palm  grove,  which  in  richness  and  beauty  rivalled  those  of  the 


108  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Mexican  tierra  caliente.  The  lofty  shafts  of  the  date  and  the 
vaulted  foliage  of  the  doum-palm,  blended  in  the  most  pictu- 
resque groupage,  contrasted  with  the  lace-like  texture  of  the 
flowering  mimosa,  and  the  cloudy  boughs  of  a  kind  of  gray  cy- 
press. The  turf  under  the  trees  was  soft  and  green,  and  between 
the  slim  trunks  we  looked  over  the  plain,  to  the  Libyan  Moun- 
tains— a  long  train  of  rosy  lights  and  violet  shadows.  Out  of 
this  lovely  wood  we  passed  between  magnificent  fields  of  dourra 
and  the  castor-oil  bean,  fifteen  feet  in  height,  to  a  dyke  which 
crossed  the  meadows  to  Dendera.  The  leagues  of  rank  grass  on 
our  right  rolled  away  to  the  Desert  in  shining  billows,  and  the 
fresh  west-wind  wrapped  us  in  a  bath  of  intoxicating  odors.  In 
the  midst  of  this  green  and  peaceful  plain  rose  the  earthy 
mounds  of  Tentyra,  and  the  portico  of  the  temple,  almost  buried 
beneath  them,  stood  like  a  beacon,  marking  the  boundary  of  the 
Desert. 

We  galloped  our  little  animals  along  the  dyke,  over  heaps 
of  dirt  and  broken  bricks,  among  which  a  number  of  Arabs 
were  burrowing  for  nitrous  earth,  and  dismounted  at  a  small 
pylon,  which  stands  two  or  three  hundred  paces  in  front  of  the 
temple.  The  huge  jambs  of  sandstone,  covered  with  sharply 
cut  hieroglyphics  and  figures  of  the  Egyptian  gods,  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  single  block,  bearing  the  mysterious  winged  globe 
and  serpent,  detained  us  but  a  moment,  and  we  hurried  down 
what  was  once  the  dromos  of  the  temple,  now  represented  by  a 
double  wall  of  unburnt  bricks.  The  portico,  more  than  a  hundred 
feet  in  length,  and  supported  by  six  columns,  united  by  screens 
of  masonry,  no  stone  of  which,  or  of  the  columns  themselves,  is 
unsculptured,  is  massive  and  imposing,  but  struck  me  as  being 
too  depressed  to  produce  a  very  grand  effect.     What  was  my 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  DENDERA.  109 

astonishment,  on  arriving  at  the  entrance,  to  find  that  I  had 
approached  the  temple  on  a  level  with  half  its  height,  and  that 
the  pavement  of  the  portico  was  as  far  below  as  the  scrolls  of 
its  cornice  were  above  me.  The  six  columns  I  had  seen  cover- 
ed three  other  rows,  of  six  each,  all  adorned  with  the  most 
elaborate  sculpture  and  exhibiting  traces  of  the  brilliant  color- 
ing which  they  once  possessed.  The  entire  temple,  which  is  in 
an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  except  where  the  hand  of  the 
Coptic  Christian  has  defaced  its  sculptures,  was  cleaned  out  by 
order  of  Mohammed  Ali,  and  as  all  its  chambers,  as  well  as 
the  roof  of  enormous  sand-stone  blocks,  are  entire,  it  is  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  complete  relics  of  Egyptian  art. 

I  find  my  pen  at  fault,  when  I  attempt  to  describe  the  im- 
pression produced  by  the  splendid  portico.  The  twenty-four 
columns,  each  of  which  is  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  eight  feet  in 
diameter,  crowded  upon  a  surface  of  one  hundred  feet  by 
seventy,  are  oppressive  in  their  grandeur.  The  dim  light, 
admitted  through  the  half  closed  front,  which  faces  the  north, 
spreads  a  mysterious  gioom  around  these  mighty  shafts,  crown- 
ed with  the  fourfold  visage  of  Athor,  still  rebuking  the  im- 
pious hands  that  have  marred  her  solemn  beauty.  On  the 
walls,  between  columns  of  hieroglyphics,  and  the  cartouches  of 
the  Caesars  and  the  Ptolemies,  appear  the  principal  Egyptian 
deities — the  rigid  Osiris,  the  stately  Isis  and  the  hawk-headed 
Orus.  Around  the  bases  of  the  columns  spring  the  leaves  of 
the  sacred  lotus,  and  the  dark-blue  ceiling  is  spangled  with 
stars,  between  the  wings  of  the  divine  emblem.  The  sculptures 
are  all  in  raised  relief,  and  there  is  no  stone  in  the  temple 
without  them.  I  cannot  explain  to  myself  the  unusual  emotion 
T  felt  while  contemplating  this   wonderful  combination  of  a 


110  JOURNEY"    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

simple  and  sublime  architectural  style  with  the  utmost  elabo- 
ration of  ornament.  My  blood  pulsed  fast  and  warm  on  my 
first  view  of  the  Roman  Forum,  but  in  Dendera  I  was  so  sad- 
dened and  oppressed,  that  I  scarcely  dared  speak  for  fear  of 
betraying  an  unmanly  weakness.  My  friend  walked  silently 
between  the  columns,  with  a  face  as  rigidly  sad  as  if  he  had 
just  looked  on  the  coffin  of  his  nearest  relative.  Though  such 
a  mood  was  more  painful  than  agreeable,  it  required  some  effort 
to  leave  the  place,  and  after  a  stay  of  two  hours,  we  still  lin- 
gered in  the  portico  and  walked  through  the  inner  halls,  under 
the  spell  of  a  fascination  which  we  had  hardly  power  to  break. 
The  portico  opens  into  a  hall,  supported  by  six  beautiful 
columns,  of  smaller  proportions,  and  lighted  by  a  square  aper- 
ture in  the  solid  roof.  On  either  side  are  chambers  connected 
with  dim  and  lofty  passages,  and  beyond  is  the  sanctuary  and 
various  other  apartments,  which  receive  no  light  from  without. 
We  examined  their  sculptures  by  the  aid  of  torches,  and  our 
Arab  attendants  kindled  large  fires  of  dry  corn  stalks,  which 
cast  a  strong  red  light  on  the  walls.  The  temple  is  devoted  to 
Athor,  the  Egyptian  Yenus,  and  her  image  is  everywhere  seen, 
receiving  the  homage  of  her  worshippers.  Even  the  dark  stair 
case,  leading  to  the  roof — up  which  we  climbed  over  heaps  of 
sand  and  rubbish — is  decorated  throughout  with  processions  of 
symbolical  figures.  The  drawing  has  little  of  that  grotesque 
stiffness  which  I  expected  to  find  in  Egyptian  sculptures,  and 
the  execution  is  so  admirable  in  its  gradations  of  light  and 
shade,  as  to  resemble,  at  a  little  distance,  a  monochromatic 
painting.  The  antiquarians  view  these  remains  with  little 
interest,  as  they  date  from  the  comparatively  recent  era  of  the 
Ptolemies,  at  which  time  sculpture  and  architecture  were  on 


THE  PORTRAIT  OF  CLEOPATRA.  Ill 

the  decline.  We,  who  had  seen  nothing  else  of  the  kind, 
were  charmed  with  the  grace  and  elegance  of  this  sumptuous 
mode  of  decoration.  Part  of  the  temple  was  built  by  Cleopatra, 
whose  portrait,  with  that  of  her  son  Csesarion,  may  still  be 
seen  on  the  exterior  wall.  The  face  of  the  colossal  figure  has 
been  nearly  destroyed,  but  there  is  a  smaller  one,  whose  soft, 
voluptuous  outline  is  still  sufficient  evidence  of  the  justness  of 
her  renown.  The  profile  is  exquisitely  beautiful.  The  fore- 
head and  nose  approach  the  Greek  standard,  but  the  mouth  is 
more  roundly  and  delicately  curved,  and  the  chin  and  cheek 
are  fuller.  "Were  such  an  outline  made  plastic,  were  the  blank 
face  colored  with  a  pale  olive  hue,  through  which  should  blush  a 
faint,  rosy  tinge,  lighted  with  bold  black  eyes  and  irradiated 
with  the  lightning  of  a  passionate  nature,  it  would  even  now 
'  move  the  mighty  hearts  of  captains  and  of  kings." 

Around  the  temple  and  over  the  mounds  of  the  ancient 
city  are  scattered  the  ruins  of  an  Arab  village  which  the  in- 
habitants suddenly  deserted,  without  any  apparent  reason,  two 
or  three  years  previous  to  our  visit.  Behind  it,  stretches  the 
yellow  sand  of  the  Desert.  The  silence  and  aspect  of  deser- 
tion harmonize  well  with  the  spirit  of  the  place,  which  would 
be  much  disturbed  were  one  beset,  as  is  usual  in  the  Arab 
towns,  by  a  gang  of  naked  beggars  and  barking  wolf-dogs. 
"Besides  the  temple,  there  are  also  the  remains  of  a  chapel  of 
Tsis,  with  a  pylon,  erected  by  Augustus  Ctesar,  and  a  small 
temple,  nearly  whelmed  in  the  sand,  supposed  to  be  one  of  the 
mammeisi,  or  lying-in  houses  of  the  goddess  Athor,  who  was 
honored  in  this  form,  on  account  of  having  given  birth  to  the 
third  member  of  the  divine  Triad. 

At  sunset,  we  rode  back  from  Dendera  and  set  sail  for 


112  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Thebes.  In  the  evening,  as  we  were  sweeping  along  by  moon- 
light, with  a  full  wind,  a  large  dahabiyeh  came  floating  down 
the  stream.  Achmet,  who  was  on  the  look-out,  saw  the  Amer- 
ican flag,  and  we  hailed  her.  My  delight  was  unbounded,  to 
hear  in  reply  the  voice  of  my  friend,  Mr.  Degen,  of  New  York, 
who,  with  his  lady  and  two  American  and  English  gentlemen, 
were  returning  from  a  voyage  to  Assouan.  Both  boats  in- 
stantly made  for  the  shore,  and  for  the  first  time  since  leaving 
Germany  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  familiar  faces.  For  the 
space  of  three  hours  I  forgot  Thebes  and  the  north  wind,  but 
towards  midnight  we  exchanged  a  parting  salute  of  four  guns 
and  shook  out  the  broad  sails  of  the  Cleopatra,  who  leaned  her 
cheek  to  the  waves  and  shot  off  like  a  sea-gull.  I  am  sure  she 
must  have  looked  beautiful  to  my  friends,  as  they  stood  on 
deck  in  the  moonlight. 


ARRIVAL    AT    THEBES.  J  J  3 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THEBES THE   WESTERN   BANK. 

Arrival  at  Thebes— Ground-Plan  of  the  Remains— "We  Cross  to  the  Western  Bank- 
Guides— The  Temple  of  Goorneh— Valley  of  the  Kings' Tombs— Belzoni's  Tomb— 
The  Races  of  Men — Vandalism  of  Antiquarians— Bruce's  Tomb — Memnon — The 
Grandfather  of  Sesostris— The  Head  of  Amunoph— The  Colossi  of  the  Plain— 
Memnonian  Music— The  Statue  of  Remeses — The  Memnonium— Beauty  of  Egyp- 
tian Art— More  Scrambles  among  the  Tombs— The  Bats  of  the  Assassecf— Medee- 
net  Abou — Sculptured  Histories — The  Great  Court  of  the  Temple — We  return  to 
Luxor. 

On  the  following  evening,  about  nine  o'clock,  as  my  friend  and 
I  were  taking  our  customary  evening  pipe  in  the  cabin,  our 
vessel  suddenly  stopped.  The  wind  was  still  blowing,  and  I 
called  to  Achmet  to  know  what  was  the  matter.  "  We  have 
reached  Luxor,"  answered  the  Theban.  We  dropped  the  she- 
books,  dashed  out,  up  the  bank,  and  saw,  facing  us  in  the 
brilliant  moonlight,  the  grand  colonnade  of  the  temple,  the 
solid  wedges  of  the  pylon,  and  the  brother-obelisk  of  that 
which  stands  in  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  in  Paris.  The 
wide  plain  of  Thebes  stretched  away  on  either  hand,  and  the 
beautiful  outlines  of  the  three  mountain  ranges  which  inclose 
it,  rose  in  the  distance  against  the  stars.  We  looked  on  the 
landscape  a  few  moments,  in  silence.  "  Come,"  said  my  friend, 
at  length,  "  this  is  enough  for  to-night.     Let  us  not  be  too 


J14  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

hasty  to  exhaust  what  is  in  store  for  us.1'  So  we  returned  to 
our  cabin,  closed  the  blinds,  and  arranged  our  plans  for  best 
seeing,  and  best  enjoying  the  wonders  of  the  great  Diospolis. 

Before  commencing  my  recital,  let  me  attempt  to  give  an 
outline  of  the  typography  of  Thebes.  The  course  of  the  Nile 
is  here  nearly  north,  dividing  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  into 
two  almost  equal  parts.  On  approaching  it  from  Kenneh,  the 
mountain  of  Goorneh,  which  abuts  on  the  river,  marks  the 
commencement  of  the  western  division.  This  mountain,  a 
range  of  naked  limestone  crags,  terminating  in  a  pyramidal 
peak,  gradually  recedes  to  the  distance  of  three  miles  from  the 
Nile,  which  it  again  approaches  further  south.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  the  curve,  which  might  be  called  the  western  wall  of 
the  city,  is  pierced  with  tombs,  among  which  are  those  of  the 
queens,  and  the  grand  priestly  vaults  of  the  Assasseef.  The 
Valley  of  the  Kings'  Tombs  lies  deep  in  the  heart  of  the 
range  seven  or  eight  miles  from  the  river.  After  passing  the 
corner  of  the  mountain,  the  first  ruin  on  the  western  bank  is 
that  of  the  temple-palace  of  Goorneh.  More  than  a  mile  fur- 
ther, at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  is  the  Memnonium,  or  tem- 
ple of  Remeses  the.  Great,  between  which  and  the  Nile  the  two 
Memnonian  colossi  are  seated  on  the  plain.  Nearly  two  miles 
to  the  south  of  this  is  the  great  temple  of  Medeenet  Abou,  and 
the  fragments  of  other  edifices  are  met  with,  still  further  be- 
yond. On  the  eastern  bank,  nearly  opposite  Goorneh,  stands 
the  temple  of  Karnak,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river. 
Eight  miles  eastward,  at  the  foot  of  the  Arabian  Mountains,  is 
the  small  temple  of  Medamot,  which,  however,  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  included  in  the  limits  of  Thebes.  Luxor  is  di- 
rectly on  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of 


THE    WESTERN    BANK.  115 

Karnak,  and  the  plain  extends  several  miles  beyond  it,  before 
reaching  the  isolated  range,  whose  three  conical  peaks  are  the 
landmarks  of  Thebes  to  voyagers  on  the  river. 

These  distances  convey  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  ancient 
city,  but  fail  to  represent  the  grand  proportions  of  the  land- 
scape, so  well  fitted,  in  its  simple  and  majestic  outlines,  to  in- 
close the  most  wonderful  structures  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
The  green  expanse  of  the  plain ;  the  airy  coloring  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  the  mild,  solemn  blue  of  the  cloudless  Egyptian  sky  ; — 
these  are  a  part  of  Thebes,  and  inseparable  from  the  remem- 
brance of  its  ruins. 

At  sunrise  we  crossed  to  the  western  bank  and  moored  our 
boat  opposite  Goorneh.  It  is  advisable  to  commence  with  the 
Tombs,  and  close  the  inspection  of  that  side  with  Medeenet 
Abou,  reserving  Karnak,  the  grandest  of  all,  for  the  last. 
The  most  unimportant  objects  in  Thebes  are  full  of  interest 
when  seen  first,  whereas  Karnak,  once  seen,  fills  one's  thoughts 
to  the  exclusion  of  every  thing  else.  There  are  Arab  guides 
for  each  bank,  who  are  quite  familiar  with  all  the  principal 
points,  and  who  have  a  quiet  and  unobtrusive  way  of  directing 
the  traveller,  which  I  should  be  glad  to  see  introduced  into 
England  and  Italy.  Our  guide,  old  Achmet  Gourgar,  was  a 
tall,  lean  gray-beard,  who  wore  a  white  turban  and  long  brown 
robe,  and  was  most  conscientious  in  his  endeavors  to  satisfy  us. 
We  found  several  horses  on  the  bank,  ready  saddled,  and 
choosing  two  of  the  most  promising,  set  off  on  a  stirring  gal- 
lop for  the  temple  of  Goorneh  and  the  Valley  of  the  Kings' 
Tombs,  leaving  Achmet  to  follow  with  our  breakfast,  and  the 
Arab  boys  with  their  water  bottles. 

The  temple  of  Goorneh  was  built  for  the  worship  of  Amun? 


11C  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

the  Theban  Jupiter,  by  Osirei  and  his  son,  Remeses  the  Great, 
the  supposed  Sesostris,  nearly  fourteen  hundred  years  before 
the  Christian  era.  It  is  small,  compared  with  the  other  ruins, 
but  interesting  from  its  rude  and  massive  style,  a  remnant  of 
the  early  period  of  Egyptian  architecture.  The  two  pylons  in 
front  of  it  are  shattered  down,  and  the  dromos  of  sphinxes  has 
entirely  disappeared.  The  portico  is  supported  by  a  single 
row  of  ten  columns,  which  neither  resemble  each  other,  nor 
are  separated  by  equal  spaces;  What  is  most  singular,  is  the 
fact  that  notwithstanding  this  disproportion,  which  is  also  ob- 
servable in  the  doorways,  the  general  effect  is  harmonious. 
We  tried  to  fathom  the  secret  of  this,  and  found  no  other  ex- 
planation than  in  the  lowness  of  the  building,  and  the  rough 
granite  blocks  of  which  it  is  built.  One  seeks  no  proportion 
in  a  natural  temple  of  rock,  or  a  cirque  of  Druid  stones.  All 
that  the  eye  requires  is  rude  strength,  with  a  certain  approach 
to  order.  The  effect  produced  by  this  temple  is  of  a  similar 
character,  barring  its  historical  interest.  Its  dimensions  are 
too  small  to  be  imposing,  and  I  found,  after  passing  it  several 
times,  that  I  valued  it  more  as  a  feature  in  the  landscape, 
than  for  its  own  sake. 

The  sand  and  pebbles  clattered  under  the  hoofs  of  our 
horses,  as  we  galloped  up  the  gorge  of  Biban  el  Molook,  the 
"  Gates  of  the  Kings."  The  sides  are  perpendicular  cliffs  of 
yellow  rock,  which  increased  in  height,  the  further  we  advanc- 
ed, and  at  last  terminated  in  a  sort  of  basin,  shut  in  by  preci- 
pices several  hundred  feet  in  height  and  broken  into  fantastic 
turrets,  gables  and  pinnacles.  The  bottom  is  filled  with  huge 
heaps  of  sand  and  broken  stones,  left  from  the  excavation 
of  the  tombs  in  the  solid  rock.     There  are  twenty-one  tombs 


BELZONl's    TOMB.  117 

in  this  valley,  more  than  half  of  which  are  of  great  extent  and 
richly  adorned  with  paintings  and  sculptures.  Some  have 
been  filled  with  sand  or  otherwise  injured  by  the  occasional 
rains  which  visit  this  region,  while  a  few  are  too  small  and 
plain  to  need  visiting.  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson  has  numbered 
them  all  in  red  chalk  at  the  entrances,  which  is  very  convenient 
to  those  who  use  his  work  on  Egypt  as  a  guide.  I  visited  ten 
of  the  principal  tombs,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  old  guide, 
who  complained  that  travellers  are  frequently  satisfied  with 
four  or  five.  The  general  arrangement  is  the  same  in  all,  but 
they  differ  greatly  in  extent  and  in  the  character  of  their  deco- 
ration. 

The  first  we  entered  was  the  celebrated  tomb  of  Remeses 
I.,  discovered  by  Belzoni.  From  the  narrow  entrance,  a  pre- 
cipitous staircase,  the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with  columns 
of  hieroglyphics,  descends  to  a  depth  of  forty  feet,  where  it 
strikes  a  horizontal  passage  leading  to  an  oblong  chamber,  in 
which  was  formerly  a  deep  pit,  which  Belzoni  filled.  This  pit 
protected  the  entrance  to  the  royal  chamber,  which  was  also 
carefully  walled  up.  In  the  grace  and  freedom  of  the  draw- 
ings, and  the  richness  of  their  coloring,  this  tomb  surpasses 
all  others.  The  subjects  represented  are  the  victories  of  the 
monarch,  while  in  the  sepulchral  chamber  he  is  received  into 
the  presence  of  the  gods.  The  limestone  rock  is  covered  with 
a  fine  coating  of  plaster,  on  which  the  figures  were  first  drawn 
with  red  chalk,  and  afterwards  carefully  finished  in  colors. 
The  reds,  yellows,  greens  and  blues  are  very  brilliant,  but 
seem  to  have  been  employed  at  random,  the  gods  having  faces 
sometimes  of  one  color,  sometimes  of  another.  In  the  furthest 
chamber,  which   was   left   unfinished,  the   subjects  are  only 


118  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

sketched  in  red  chalk.  Some  of  them  have  the  loose  and  un- 
certain lines  of  a  pupil's  hand,  over  which  one  .sees  the  bold 
and  rapid  corrections  of  the  master.  Many  of  the  figures  are 
remarkable  for  their  strength  and  freedom  of  outline.  I  was 
greatly  interested  in  a  procession  of  men,  representing  the  dif- 
ferent nations  of  the  earth.  The  physical  peculiarities  of  the 
Persian,  the  Jew  and  the  Ethiopian  are  therein  as  distinctly 
marked  as  at  the  present  day.  The  blacks  are  perfect  coun- 
terparts of  those  I  saw  daily  upon  the  Nile,  and  the  noses  of 
the  Jews  seem  newly  painted  from  originals  in  New  York. 
So  little  diversity  in  the  distinguishing  features  of  the  race, 
after  the  lapse  of  more  than  three  thousand  years,  is  a  strong 
argument  in  favor  of  the  new  ethnological  theory  of  the  sepa- 
rate origin  of  different  races.  Whatever  objections  may  be 
urged  against  this  theory,  the  fact  that  the  races  have  not  ma- 
terially changed  since  the  earliest  historic  times,  is  established 
by  these  Egyptian  records,  and  we  must  either  place  the  first 
appearance  of  Man  upon  the  earth  many  thousands  of  years  in 
advance  of  Bishop  Usher's  chronology,  or  adopt  the  conclusion 
of  Morton  and  Agassiz. 

The  burial-vault,  where  Belzoni  found  the  alabaster  sarco- 
phagus of  the  monarch,  is  a  noble  hall,  thirty  feet  long  by  nearly 
twenty  in  breadth  and  height,  with  four  massive  pillars  form- 
ing a  corridor  on  one  side.  In  addition  to  the  light  of  our 
torches,  the  Arabs  kindled  a  large  bonfire  in  the  centre,  which 
brought  out  in  strong  relief  the  sepulchral  figures  on  the  ceiling, 
painted  in  white  on  a  ground  of  dark  indigo  hue.  The  pillars 
and  walls  of  the  vault  glowed  with  the  vivid  variety  of  their 
colors,  and  the  general  effect  was  unspeakably  rich  and  gor- 
geous.    This  tomb  has  already  fallen  a  prey  to  worse  plunderers 


BRUGES    TOMB.  119 

than  the  Medes  and  Persians.  Belzoni  carried  off  the  sarco- 
phagus, Champollion  cut  away  the  splendid  jambs  and  architrave 
of  the  entrance  to  the  lower  chambers,  and  Lepsius  has  finished 
by  splitting  the  pillars  and  appropriating  their  beautiful  paint- 
ings for  the  Museum  at  Berlin.  At  one  spot,  where  the  latter 
has  totally  ruined  a  fine  doorway,  some  indignant  Frenchman 
has  written  in  red  chalk  :  "  Meurtre  commisjpar  Lepsius."  In 
all  the  tombs  of  Thebes,  wherever  you  see  the  most  flagrant 
and  shameless  spoliations,  the  guide  says,  "  Lepsius."  Who 
can  blame  the  Arabs  for  wantonly  defacing  these  precious 
monuments,  when  such  an  example  is  set  them  by  the  vanity 
of  European  antiquarians  ? 

Bruce's  Tomb,  which  extends  for  four  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  into  the  rock,  is  larger  than  Belzoni's,  but  not  so  fresh  and 
brilliant.  The  main  entrance  slopes  with  a  very  gradual  de- 
scent, and  has  on  each  side  a  number  of  small  chambers  and 
niches,  apparently  for  mummies.  The  illustrations  in  these 
chambers  are  somewhat  defaced,  but  very  curious,  on  account 
of  the  light  which  they  throw  upon  the  domestic  life  of  the 
Ancient  Egyptians.  They  represent  the  slaughtering  of  oxen, 
the  preparation  of  fowls  for  the  table,  the  kneading  and  baking 
of  bread  and  cakes,  as  well  as  the  implements  and  utensils  of 
the  kitchen.  In  other  places  the  field  laborers  are  employed 
in  leading  the  water  of  the  Nile  into  canals,  cutting  dourra, 
threshing  and  carrying  the  grain  into  magazines.  One  room 
is  filled  with  furniture,  and  the  row  of  chairs  around  the 
base  of  the  walls  would  not  be  out  of  place  in  the  most  elegant 
modern  drawing-room.  The  Illustrated  Catalogue  of  the  Lon- 
don Exhibition  contains  few  richer  and  more  graceful  patterns. 
In  a  chamber  nearer  the  royal  vault,  two  old,  blind  minstrels 


120  JOURNEY   TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

are  seen,  playing  the  harp  in  the  presence  of  the  King,  whence 
this  is  sometimes  called  the  Harper's  Tomb,  The  pillars  of 
the  grand  hall,  like  those  of  all  the  other  tombs  we  visited, 
represent  the  monarch,  after  death,  received  into  the  presence 
of  the  gods — stately  figures,  with  a  calm  and  serious  aspect, 
and  lips,  which,  like  those  of  the  Sphinx,  seemed  closed  upon 
some  awful  mystery.  The  absurdity  of  the  coloring  does  not 
destroy  this  effect,  and  a  blue-faced  Isis,  whose  hard,  black  eye- 
ball stares  from  a  brilliant  white  socket,  is  not  less  impressive 
than  the  same  figure,  cut  in  sandstone  or  granite. 

The  delicacy  and  precision  of  the  hieroglyphics,  sculptured 
in  intaglio,  filled  me  with  astonishment.  In  the  tomb  of  Amunoph 
III.,  which  I  visited  the  next  day,  they  resembled  the  ciphers 
engraved  upon  seals  in  their  exquisite  sharpness  and  regularity. 
Only  the  principal  tombs,  however,  are  thus  beautified.  In 
others  the  figures  are  either  simply  painted,  or  apparently 
sunken  in  the  plaster,  while  it  was  yet  fresh,  by  prepared  pat- 
terns. The  latter  method  accounts  for  the  exact  resemblance 
of  long  processions  of  figures,  which  would  otherwise  require  a 
most  marvellous  skill  on  the  part  of  the  artist.  In  some  un- 
finished chambers  I  detected  plainly  the  traces  of  these  pat- 
terns, where  the  outlines  of  the  figures  were  blunt  and  the  grain 
of  the  plaster  bent,  and  not  cut.  The  family  likeness  in  the 
faces  of  the  monarchs  is  also  too  striking,  unfortunately,  for  us 
to  accept  them  all  as  faithful  portraits.  They  are  all  apparent- 
ly of  the  same  age,  and  their  attributes  do  not  materially  differ. 
This  was  probably  a  flattery  on  the  part  of  the  artists,  or  the 
effect  of  a  royal  vanity,  which  required  to  be  portrayed  in  the 
freshness  of  youth  and  the  full  vigor  of  body  and  mind.  The 
first  faces  I  learned  to  recognize  were  those  of  Kemeses  II., 
the  supposed  Sesostris,  and  Amunoph  III. 


AN    ANCIENT    TOMB.  •  121 

The  tomb  of  Mernnon,  as  it  was  called  by  the  Romans,  is 
the  most  elegant  of  all,  in  its  proportions,  and  is  as  symmetri- 
cal as  a  Grecian  temple.  On  the  walls  of  the  entrance  are 
several  inscriptions  of  Greek  tourists,  who  visited  it  in  the  era 
of  the  Ptolemies,  and  spent  their  time  in  carving  their  names, 
like  Americans  nowadays.  The  huge  granite  sarcophagus  in 
which  the  monarch's  mummy  was  deposited,  is  broken,  as  are 
those  of  the  other  tombs,  with  a  single  exception.  This  is  the 
tomb  of  Osirei  I.,  the  grandfather  of  Sesostris,  and  the  oldest 
in  the  valley.  I  visited  it  by  crawling  through  a  hole  barely 
large  enough  to  admit  my  body,  after  which  I  slid  on  my  back 
down  a  passage  nearly  choked  with  sand,  to  another  hole, 
opening  into  the  burial  chamber.  Here  no  impious  hand  had 
defaced  the  walls,  but  the  figures  were  as  perfect  and  the  color- 
ing as  brilliant  as  when  first  executed.  In  the  centre  stood 
an  immense  sarcophagus,  of  a  single  block  of  red  granite,  and 
the  massive  lid,  which  had  been  thrown  off,  lay  beside  it.  The 
dust  in  the  bottom  gave  out  that  peculiar  mummy  odor  percep- 
tible in  all  the  tombs,  and  in  fact  long-  after  one  has  left  them, 
for  the  clothes  become  saturated  with  it.  The  guide,  delighted 
with  having  dragged  me  into  that  chamber,  buried  deep  in  the 
dumb  heart  of  the  mountain,  said  not  a  word,  and  from  the 
awful  stillness  of  the  place  and  the  phantasmagoric  gleam  of 
the  wonderful  figures  on  the  walls,  I  could  have  imagined  my- 
self a  neophyte,  on  the  threshold  of  the  Osirian  mysteries. 

We  rode  to  the  Western  Valley,  a  still  deeper  and  wider 
glen,  containing  tombs  of  the  kings  of  the  foreign  dynasty  of 
Atm-Re.  We  entered  the  two  principal  ones,  but  found  the 
paintings  rude  and  insignificant.  There  are  many  lateral  pas- 
sages and  chambers  and  in  some  places  deep  pits,  along  the 
6 


122  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

edge  of  which  we  were  obliged  to  craw..  In  the  last  touib  a 
very  long  and  steep  staircase  descends  into  the  rock.  As  we 
were  groping  after  the  guide,  I  called  to  my  friend  to  take  care, 
as  there  was  but  a  single  step,  after  making  a  slip.  The  words 
were  scarcely  out  of  my  mouth  before  I  felt  a  tremendous 
thump,  followed  by  a  number  of  smaller  ones,  and  found  myself 
sitting  in  a  heap  of  sand,  at  the  bottom,  some  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  below.  Fortunately,  I  came  off  with  but  a  few  slight 
bruises. 

Returning  to  the  temple  of  Goorneh,  we  took  a  path  over 
the  plain,  through  fields  of  wheat,  lupins  and  lentils,  to  the  two 
colossi,  which  we  had  already  seen  from  a  distance.  These 
immense  sitting  figures,  fifty-three  feet  above  the  plain,  which 
has  buried  their  pedestals,  overlook  the  site  of  vanished 
Thebes  and  assert  the  grandeur  of  which  they  and  Karnak  are 
the  most  striking  remains.  They  were  erected  by  Amunoph 
III.,  and  though  the  faces  are  totally  disfigured,  the  full,  round, 
beautiful  proportions  of  the  colossal  arms,  shoulders  and  thighs 
do  not  belie  the  marvellous  sweetness  of  the  features  which  we 
still  see  in  his  tomb.  Except  the  head  of  Antinous,  I  know 
of  no  ancient  portrait  so  beautiful  as  Amunoph.  The  long  and 
luxuriant  hair,  flowing  in  a  hundred  ringlets,  the  soft  grace  of 
the  forehead,  the  mild  serenity  of  the  eye,  the  fine  thin  lines 
of  the  nostrils  and  the  feminine  tenderness  of  the  full  lips, 
triumph  over  the  cramped  rigidity  of  Egyptian  sculpture,  and 
charm  you  with  the  lightness  and  harmony  of  Greek  art.  In 
looking  on  that  head,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  subject 
overpowered  the  artist,  and  led  him  to  the  threshold  of  a  truer 
art.  Amunoph,  or  Memnon,  was  a  poet  in  soul,  and  it  was 
meet  that  his  statue  should  salute  the  rising  sun  with  a  sound 
like  that  of  a  harp-string. 


THE    MUSIC    OF    MEMNON.  123 

Modern  research  has  wholly  annihilated  this  beautiful  fable. 
Memnon  now  sounds  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  and  at  the  com- 
mand of  all  travellers  who  pay  an  Arab  five  piastres  to  climb 
into  his  lap.  We  engaged  a  vender  of  modern  scarabei,  who 
threw  off  his  garments,  hooked  his  fingers  and  toes  into  the 
cracks  of  the  polished  granite,  and  soon  hailed  us  with  "  Sa- 
laam !  "  from  the  knee  of  the  statue.  There  is  a  certain  stone 
on  Memnon's  lap,  which,  when  sharply  struck,  gives  out  a  clear 
metallic  ring.  Behind  it  is  a  small  square  aperture,  invisible 
from  below,  where  one  of  the  priests  no  doubt  stationed  him- 
self to  perform  the  daily  miracle.  Our  Arab  rapped  on  the 
arms  and  body  of  the  statue,  which  had  the  usual  dead  sound 
of  stone,  and  rendered  the  musical  ring  of  the  sun-smitten 
block  more  striking.  An  avenue  of  sphinxes  once  led  from  the 
colossi  to  a  grand  temple,  the  foundations  of  which  we  found 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  On  the  way  are  the  frag- 
ments of  two  other  colossi,  one  of  black  granite.  The  enor- 
mous substructions  of  the  temple  and  the  pedestals  of  its  col- 
umns have  been  sufficiently  excavated  to  show  what  a  superb 
edifice  has  been  lost  to  the  world.  A  crowd  of  troublesome 
Arabs,  thrusting  upon  our  attention  newly  baken  cinerary  urns, 
newly  roasted  antique  wheat,  and  images  of  all  kinds  fresh 
from  the  maker's  hand,  disturbed  our  quiet  examination  of  the 
ruins,  and  in  order  to  escape  their  importunities,  we  rode  to 
the  Memnonium. 

This  edifice,  the  temple-palace  of  Remeses  the  Great,  is 
supposed  to  be  the  Memnonium,  described  by  Strabo.  It  is 
built  on  a  gentle  rise  of  land  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and 
looks  eastward  to  the  Nile  and  Luxor.  The  grand  stone  py- 
lon which  stands  at   the    entrance  of  its   former  avenue  of 


124  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

sphinxes  has  been  half  levelled  by  the  fury  of  the  Persian  con- 
querors, and  the  colossal  granite  statue  of  Remeses,  in  the  first 
court  of  the  temple,  now  lies  in  enormous  fragments  around  its 
pedestal.  Mere  dimensions  give  no  idea  of  this  immense 
mass,  the  weight  of  which,  when  entire,  was  nearly  nine  hun- 
dred tons.  How  poor  and  trifling  appear  the  modern  statues 
which  we  call  colossal,  when  measured  with  this,  one  of  whose 
toes  is  a  yard  in  length;  and  how  futile  the  appliances  of 
modern  art,  when  directed  to  it§  transportation  for.  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  !  The  architrave  at  each  end 
of  the  court  was  upheld  by  four  caryatides,  thirty  feet  in  height. 
Though  much  defaced,  they  are  still  standing,  but  are  dwarfed 
by  the  mighty  limbs  of  Remeses.  It  is  difficult  to  account  for 
the  means  by  which  the  colossus  was  broken.  There  are  no 
marks  of  any  instruments  which  could  have  forced  such  a  mass 
asunder,  and  the  only  plausible  conjecture  I  have  heard  is, 
that  the  stone  must  have  been  subjected  to  an  intense  heat  and 
afterwards  to  the  action  of  water.  The  statue,  in  its  sitting 
position,  must  have  been  nearly  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  is  the 
largest  in  the  world,  though  not  so  high  as  the  rock-hewn 
monoliths  of  Aboo-Simbel.  The  Turks  and  Arabs  have  cut 
several  mill-stones  out  of  its  head,  without  any  apparent  dimi- 
nution of  its  size. 

The  Memnonium  differs  from  the  other  temples  of  Egypt 
in  being  almost  faultless  in  its  symmetry,  even  when  measured 
by  the  strictest  rules  of  art.  I  know  of  nothing  so  exquisite 
as  the  central  colonnade  of  its  grand  hall — a  double  row  of 
pillars,  forty-five  feet  in  height  and  tweuty-three  in  circum- 
ference, crowned  with  capitals  resembling  the  bell-shaped  blos- 
soms of  the  lotus.     One  must  see  them  to  comprehend  how 


THE    MEMNONIUM.  125 

this  simple  form,  whose  expression  is  all  sweetness  and  tender- 
ness in  the  flower,  softens  and  beautifies  the  solid  majesty  of 
the  shaft.  In  spite  of  their  colossal  proportions,  there  is 
nothing  massive  or  heavy  in  their  aspect.  The  cup  of  the 
capital  curves  gently  outward  from  the  abacus  on  which  the 
architrave  rests,  and  seems  the  natural  blossom  of  the  co- 
lumnar stem.  On  either  side  of  this  perfect  colonnade  are  four 
rows  of  Osiride  pillars,  of  smaller  size,  yet  the  variety  of  their 
form  and  proportions  only  enhances  the  harmony  of  the  whole. 
This  is  one  of  those  enigmas  in  architecture  which  puzzle  one 
on  his  first  acquaintance  with  Egyptian  temples,  and  which  he 
is  often  forced  blindly  to  accept  as  new  laws  of  art,  because  his 
feeling  tells  him  they  are  true,  and  his  reason  cannot  satisfac- 
torily demonstrate  that  the}^  are  false. 

We  waited  till  the  yellow  rays  of  sunset  fell  on  the  capi- 
tals of  the  Memnonium,  and  they  seemed,  like  the  lotus  flowers, 
to  exhale  a  vapory  light,  before  we  rode  home.  All  night  we 
wandered  in  dreams  through  kingly  vaults,  with  starry  ceilings 
and  illuminated  walls ;  but  on  looking  out  of  our  windows  at 
dawn,  we  saw  the  red  saddle-cloths  of  our  horses  against  the 
dark  background  of  the  palm  grove,  as  they  came  down  to  the 
boat.  No  second  nap  was  possible,  after  such  a  sight,  and 
many  minutes  had  not  elapsed  before  we  were  tasting  the  cool 
morning  air  in  the  delight  of  a  race  up  and  down  the  shore. 
Our  old  guide,  however,  was  on  his  donkey  betimes,  and  called 
us  off  to  our  duty.  We  passed  Goorneh,  and  ascended  the 
eastern  face  of  the  mountain  to  the  tombs  of  the  priests  and 
private  citizens  of  Thebes.  For  miles  along  the  mountain 
side,  one  sees  nothing  but  heaps  of  sand  and  rubbish,  with 
here  and  there  an  Arab  hut,  built  against  the  face  of  a  tomb, 


120  JOURNEY-    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

whose  chambers  serve  as  pigeon-houses,  and  stalls  for  asses. 
The  earth  is  filled  with  fragments  of  mummies,  and  the  ban- 
dages in  which  they  were  wrapped ;  for  even  the  sanctity  of 
death  itself,  is  here  neither  respected  by  the  Arabs  nor  the 
Europeans  whom  they  imitate.  I  cannot  conceive  the  passion 
which  some  travellers  have,  of  carrying  away  withered  hands 
and  fleshless  legs,  and  disfiguring  the  abodes  of  the  dead  with 
their  insignificant  names.  I  should  as  soon  think  of  carving 
my  initials  on  the  back  of  a  live  Arab,  as  on  these  venerable 
monuments. 

The  first  tomb  we  entered  almost  cured  us  of  the  desire  to 
visit  another.  It  was  that  called  the  Assasseef,  built  by  a 
wealthy  priest,  and  it  is  the  largest  in  Thebes.  Its  outer 
court  measures  one  hundred  and  three  by  seventy-six  feet,  and 
its  passages  extend  between  eight  and  nine  hundred  feet  into 
the  mountain.  We  groped  our  way  between  walls  as  black  as 
ink,  through  long,  labyrinthine  suites  of  chambers,  breathing 
a  deathlike  and  oppressive  odor.  The  stairways  seemed  to 
lead  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  on  either  hand  yawned 
pits  of  uncertain  depth.  As  we  advanced,  the  ghostly  vaults 
rumbled  with  a  sound  like  thunder,  and  hundreds  of  noisome 
bats,  scared  by  the  light,  dashed  against  the  walls  and  dropped 
at  our  feet.  "We  endured  this  for  a  little  while,  but  on  reach- 
ing the  entrance  to  some  darker  and  deeper  mystery,  were  so 
surrounded  by  the  animals,  who  struck  their  filthy  wings 
against  our  faces,  that  not  for  ten  kings'  tombs  would  we  have 
gone  a  step  further.  My  friend  was  on  the  point  of  vowing 
never  to  set  his  foot  in  another  tomb,  but  I  persuaded  him  \c 
wait  until  we  had  seen  that  of  Amunoph.  I  followed  the 
guide,  who  enticed  me  by  flattering  promises  into  a  great  many 


MEDEENET  ABOU THE  PYLON.  127 

snakelike  holes,  and  when  he  was  tired  with  crawling  in  the 
dust,  sent  one  of  our  water-carriers  in  advance,  who  dragged 
me  in  and  out  by  the  heels. 

The  temple  of  Medeenet  Abou  is  almost  concealed  by  the 
ruins  of  a  Coptic  village,  among  which  it  stands,  and  by  which 
it  is  partially  buried.  The  outer  court,  pylon  and  main  hall 
of  the  smaller  temple  rise  above  the  mounds  and  overlook  the 
plain  of  Thebes,  but  scarcely  satisfy  the  expectation  of  the 
traveller,  as  he  approaches.  You  first  enter  an  inclosure  sur- 
rounded by  a  low  stone  wall,  and  standing  in  advance  of  the 
pylon.  The  rear  wall,  facing  the  entrance,  contains  two  sin- 
gle pillars,  with  bell-shaped  capitals,  which  rise  above  it  and 
stand  like  guards  before  the  doorway  of  the  pylon.  Here  was 
another  enigma  for  us.  Who  among  modern  architects  would 
dare  to  plant  two  single  pillars  before  a  pyramidal  gateway  of 
solid  masonry,  and  then  inclose  them  in  a  plain  wall,  rising  to 
half  their  height  ?  Yet  here  the  symmetry  of  the  shafts  is  not 
injured  by  the  wall  in  which  they  stand,  nor  oppressed  by  the 
ponderous  bulk  of  the  pylon.  On  the  contrary,  the  light  col- 
umns and  spreading  capitals,  like  a  tuft  of  wild  roses  hanging 
from  the  crevice  of  a  rock,  brighten  the  rude  strength  of  the 
masses  of  stone  with  a  gleam  of  singular  loveliness.  What 
would  otherwise  only  impress  you  by  its  size,  now  endears  it- 
self to  you  by  its  beauty.  Is  this  the  effect  of  chance,  or  the 
result  of  a  finer  art  than  that  which  flourishes  in  our  day  ?  I 
will  not  pretend  to  determine,  but  I  must  confess  that  Egypt, 
in  whose  ruins  I  had  expected  to  find  only  a  sort  of  barbaric 
grandeur,  has  given  me  a  new  insight  into  that  vital  Beauty 
which  is  the  soul  of  true  Art. 

We  devoted  little  time  to  the  ruined  court  and  sanctuaries 


128  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

which  follow  the  pylon,  and  to  the  lodges  of  the  main  temple, 
standing  beside  them  like  watch-towers,  three  stories  in  height. 
The  majestic  pylon  of  the  great  temple  of  Remeses  III.  rose 
behind  them,  out  of  heaps  of  pottery  and  unburnt  bricks,  and 
the  colossal  figure  of  the  monarch  in  his  car,  borne  by  two 
horses  into  the  midst  of  the  routed  enemy,  attracted  us  from  a 
distance.  We  followed  the  exterior  wall  of  the  temple,  for  its 
whole  length  of  more  than  six  hundred  feet,  reading  the  sculp- 
tured history  of  his  conquests.  The  entire  outer  wall  of  the 
temple  presents  a  series  of  gigantic  cartoons,  cut  in  the  blocks 
of  sandstone,  of  which  it  is  built.  Remeses  is  always  the  cen- 
tral figure,  distinguished  from  subjects  and  foes  no  less  by  his 
superior  stature  than  by  the  royal  emblems  which  accompany 
him.  Here  we  see  heralds  sounding  the  trumpet  in  advance  of 
his  car,  while  his  troops  pass  in  review  before  him ;  there,  with 
a  lion  walking  by  his  side,  he  sets  out  on  his  work  of  conquest. 
His  soldiers  storm  a  town,  and  we  see  them  climbing  the  wall 
with  ladders,  while  a  desperate  hand-to-hand  conflict  is  going 
on  below.  In  another  place,  he  has  alighted  from  his  chariot 
and  stands  with  his  foot  on  the  neck  of  a  slaughtered  king. 
Again,  his  vessels  attack  a  hostile  navy  on  the  sea.  One  of 
the  foreign  craft  becomes  entangled  and  is  capsized,  yet  while 
his  spearmen  hurl  their  weapons  among  the  dismayed  enemy, 
the  sailors  rescue  those  who  are  struggling;  in  the  flood.  After 
we  have  passed  through  these  stiange  and  stirring  pictures,  we 
find  the  monarch  reposing  on  his  throne,  while  his  soldiers  de- 
posit before  him  the  hands  of  the  slaughtered,  and  his  scribes 
present  to  him  lists  of  their  numbers,  and  his  generals  lead  to 
him  long  processions  of  fettered  captives.  Again,  he  is  repre- 
sented as  offering  a  group  of  subject  kings  to  Amun,  the  The- 


THE    INNER    COURT.  129 

ban  Jupiter,  who  says  to  him  :  "  Go,  my  cherished  and  chosen, 
make  war  on  foreign  nations,  besiege  their  forts  and  carry  off 
their  people  to  live  as  captives."  On  the  front  wall,  he  holds 
in  his  grasp  the  hands  of  a  dozen  monarchs,  while  with  the 
other  hand  he  raises  his  sword  to  destroy  them.  Their  faces 
express  the  very  extreme  of  grief  and  misery,  but  he  is  cold 
and  calm  as  Fate  itself. 

We  slid  down  the  piles  of  sand  and  entered  by  a  side-door 
into  the  grand  hall  of  the  temple.  Here,  as  at  Dendera,  a  sur- 
prise awaited  us.  We  stood  on  the  pavement  of  a  magnificent 
court,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  square,  around  which 
ran  a  colonnade  of  pillars,  eight  feet  square  and  forty  feet  high. 
On  the  western  side  is  an  inner  row  of  circular  columns,  twen- 
ty-four feet  in  circumference,  with  capitals  representing  the 
papyrus  blossom.  The  entire  court,  with  its  walls,  pillars  and 
doorways,  is  covered  with  splendid  sculptures  and  traces  of 
paint,  and  the  ceiling  is  blue  as  the  noonday  sky,  and  studded 
with  stars.  Against  each  of  the  square  columns  facing  the 
court  once  stood  a  colossal  caryatid,  upholding  the  architrave 
of  another  colonnade  of  granite  shafts,  nearly  all  of  which  have 
been  thrown  from  their  bases  and  lie  shivered  on  the  pavement. 
This  court  opens  towards  the  pylon  into  another  of  similar 
dimensions,  but  buried  almost  to  the  capitals  of  its  columns  in 
heaps  of  rubbish.  The  character  of  the  temple  is  totally  differ- 
ent from  that  of  every  other  in  Egypt.  Its  height  is  small  in 
proportion  to  its  great  extent,  and  it  therefore  loses  the  airy 
lightness  of  the  Memnonium  and  the  impressive  grandeur  of 
Dendera.  Its  expression  is  that  of  a  massive  magnificence,  if 
I  may  use  such  a  doubtful  compound :  no  single  epithet  suffi- 
ces to  describe  it. 
6* 


130  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

With  Mcdeenet  Abou  finished  our  survey  of  the  western 
division  of  Thebes — two  long  days  of  such  experience  as  the 
contemplation  of  a  lifetime  cannot  exhaust.  At  sunset  we  took 
advantage  of  the  wind,  parted  from  our  grooms  and  water- 
carriers,  who  wished  to  accompany  me  to  Khartoum,  and  cross- 
ed the  Nile  to  Luxor. 


THE    DANCING    GIRLS    OF    EGYPT.  131 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE   ALMEHS,   LUXOR   AND   KARNAK. 

The  Dancing  Girls  of  Egypt— A  Night  Scene  in  Luxor— The  Orange-Blossom  and  the 

Apple-Blossom— The  Beautiful  Bemha— The  Dance— Performance   of    the  Apple 

Blossom- -The  Temple   of  Luxor— A  Mohammedan   School— Gallop  to  Karnak— 

.    View  oi  the  Euins— The  Great  Hall    of  Pillars— Bedouin    Diversions— A  Night 

Eide— Karnak  under  the  Full  Moon— Farewell  to  Thehes. 

Two  days  in  the  tombs  of  the  Kings  and  the  temples  of  the 
Remesides  and  the  Osirei  exhausted  us  more  thoroughly  than 
a  week  of  hard  labor.  In  addition  to  the  natural  and  exciting 
emotion,  with  which  we  contemplated  those  remains,  and  which 
we  would  not  have  repressed,  if  we  could,  we  puzzled  ourselves 
with  the  secrets  of  Egyptian  architecture  and  the  mysteries  of 
Egyptian  faith.  Those  pregnant  days  were  followed  by  sleep- 
less nights,  and  we  reached  Luxor  at  sunset  with  a  certain 
dread  of  the  morrow.  Our  mental  nerves  were  too  tensely 
strung,  and  we  felt  severely  the  want  of  some  relaxation  of  an 
opposite  character.  The  course  which  we  adopted  to  freshen 
our  minds  for  Karnak  may  strike  a  novice  as  singular,  but  it 
was  most  effectual,  and  can  be  explained  on  the  truest  philo- 
sophical principles. 

In  the  afternoon  Achmet  had  informed  us  that  two  of  the 
celebrated  Almehs,  or  dancing-women  of  the  East,  who  had 


132  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

been  banished  to  Esneh,  were  in  Luxor,  and  recommended  us 
to  witness  their  performance.  This  was  a  welcome  proposition, 
and  the  matter  was  soon  arranged.  Our  rais  procured  a  large 
room,  had  it  cleared,  engaged  the  performers  and  musicians, 
and  took  the  cushions  of  our  cabin  to  make  us  a  stately  seat. 
If  one  should  engage  Castle  Garden,  and  hire  a  company  of 
ballet  dancers  to  perform  for  his  special  amusement,  the  fact 
would  shake  the  pillars  of  New-York  society,  and  as  it  was,  I 
can  think  of  some  very  good  friends  who  will  condemn  our 
proceeding  as  indiscreet,  and  unworthy  the  serious  aims  of 
travel.  As  I  have  no  apology  to  make  to  myself,  I  need  make 
none  to  them,  except  to  suggest  that  the  first  end  of  travel  is 
instruction,  and  that  the  traveller  is  fully  justified  in  pursuing 
this  end,  so  long  as  he  neither  injures  himself  nor  others. 

About  eight  o'clock,  accompanied  by  Achmet,  our  Theban 
guide,  the  rais  of  our  vessel,  and  our  favorite  sailor,  Ali,  we  set 
out  for  the  rendezvous.  Ali  was  the  most  gentleman-like  Fellah 
I  ever  saw.  His  appearance  was  always  neat  and  orderly,  but 
on  this  particular  evening  his  white  turban  was  sprucer  than 
ever,  and  his  blue  mantle  hung  as  gracefully  on  his  shoulders  as 
the  cloak  of  a  Spanish  grandee.  He  followed  behind  us,  re- 
joicingly bearing  the  shebooks,  as  we  walked  under  the  moonlit 
columns  of  Luxor.  We  passed  around  the  corner  of  the  temple 
and  ascended  a  flight  of  stone  steps,  to  one  of  the  upper  cham- 
bers. It  was  a  room  about  thirty  feet  long  by  fifteen  wide, 
with  a  roof  of  palm-logs,  covered  with  thatch.  The  floor  rest- 
ed on  the  ceiling  of  the  ancient  sanctuary.  Our  boat-lanterns 
of  oiled  paper  were  already  suspended  from  the  roof,  and  a  few 
candles,  stuck  in  empty  bottles,  completed  the  illumination. 

We  were  politely  received  and  conducted  to  the  divan, 


A    NIGHT-SCENE    IN    LUXOR.  133 

formed  impromptu  of  a  large  cafass,  or  hen-coop,  covered  with 
a  carpet  and  cushions.  We  seated  ourselves  upon  it,  with  legs 
crossed  Moslem-wise,  while  our  attendants  ranged  themselves 
on  the  floor  on  the  left,  and  Ali  stood  on  the  right,  ready  to 
replenish  the  pipes.  Opposite  to  us  sat  the  two  Almehs,  with 
four  attendant  dancers,  and  three  female  singers,  and  beside 
them  the  music,  consisting  of  two  drums,  a  tambourine,  and  a 
squeaking  Arab  violin.  Our  crew,  shining  in  white  turbans, 
were  ranged  near  the  door,  with  a  number  of  invited  guests, 
so  that  the  whole  company  amounted  to  upwards  of  forty  per- 
sons. On  our  entrance  the  Almehs  rose,  came  forward  and 
greeted  us,  touching  our  hands  to  the  lips  and  forehead.  They 
then  sat  down,  drank  each  a  small  glass  of  araltee,  and  while 
the  drum  thumped  and  the  violin  drawled  a  monotonous  pre- 
lude to  the  dance,  we  had  leisure  to  scrutinize  their  dress  and 
features. 

The  two  famed  danseuses  bore  Arabic  names,  which  were 
translated  to  us  as  the  Orange-Blossom  and  the  Apple-Blos- 
som. The  first  was  of  medium  size,  with  an  olive  complexion, 
and  regular,  though  not  handsome  features.  She  wore  a  white 
dress,  fitting  like  a  vest  from  the  shoulders  to  the  hips,  with 
short,  flowing  sleeves,  under  which  a  fine  blue  gauze,  confined 
at  the  wrist  with  bracelets,  hung  like  a  mist  about  her  arms. 
Her  head-dress  was  a  small  red  cap,  with  a  coronet  of  gold 
coins,  under  which  her  black  hair  escaped  in  two  shining  braids. 
The  Apple-Blossom,  who  could  not  have  been  more  than  fifteen 
years  old,  was  small  and  slightly  formed,  dark-skinned,  and 
might  have  been  called  beautiful,  but  for  a  defect  in  one  of  her 
eyes.  Her  dress  was  of  dark  crimson  silk,  with  trowsers  and 
armlets  of  white  gauze,  and  a  red  cap,  so  covered  with  coins 


134  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

that  it  nearly  resembled  a  helmet  of  golden  scales,  with  a 
fringe  falling  on  each  side  of  her  face.  Three  of  the  other 
assistants  were  dressed  in  white,  with  shawls  of  brilliant  pat- 
terns bound  around  the  waist.  The  fourth  was  a  Nubian  slave, 
named  Zakhfara,  whose  shining  black  face  looked  wonderfully 
picturesque  under  the  scarlet  mantle  which  enveloped  it  like  a 
turban,  and  fell  in  long  folds  almost  to  her  feet.  Among  the 
singers  was  one  named  Bemba,  who  was  almost  the  only  really 
beautiful  Egyptian  woman  I  ever  saw.  Her  features  were 
large,  but  perfectly  regular ;  and  her  long,  thick,  silky  hair 
hung  loose  nearly  to  her  shoulders  before  its  gleaming  mass 
was  gathered  into  braids.  Her  teeth  were  even,  and  white  as 
pearls,  and  the  lids  of  her  large  black  eyes  were  stained  with 
Icold,  which  gave  them  a  languishing,  melancholy  expression. 
She  was  a  most  consummate  actress ;  for  she  no  sooner  saw 
that  we  noticed  her  face  than  she  assumed  the  most  indifferent 
air  in  the  world  and  did  not  look  at  us  again.  But  during  the 
whole  evening  every  movement  was  studied.  The  shawl  was 
disposed  in  more  graceful  folds  about  her  head  ;  the  hair  was 
tossed  back  from  her  shoulders ;  the  hand,  tinged  with  henna, 
held  the  jasmine  tube  of  her  pipe  in  a  hundred  different  atti- 
tudes, and  only  on  leaving  did  she  lift  her  eyes  as  if  first  aware 
of  our  presence  and  wish  us  "  buona  sera" — the  -only  Italian 
words  she  knew — with  the  most  musical  accent  of  which  an 
Arab  voice  is  capable. 

Meanwhile,  the  voices  of  the  women  mingled  with  the 
shrill,  barbaric  tones  of  the  violin,  and  the  prelude  passed  into 
a  measured  song  of  long,  unvarying  cadences,  which  the  drums 
and  tambourine  accompanied  with  rapid  beats.  The  Orange- 
Blossom  and  one  of  her  companions  took  the  floor,  after  drink- 


THE    DANCE.  135 

ing  another  glass  of  arakee  and  tightening  the  shawls  around 
their  hips  The  dance  commenced  with  a  slow  movement, 
both  hands  being  lifted  above  the  head,  while  the  jingling  bits 
of  metal  on  their  shawls  and  two  miniature  cymbals  of  brass, 
fastened  to  the  thumb  and  middle  finger,  kept  time  to  the  mu- 
sic. As  the  dancers  became  animated,  their  motions  were 
more  rapid  and  violent,  and  the  measure  was  marked,  not  in 
pirouettes  and  flying  bounds,  as  on  the  boards  of  Frank  thea- 
tres, but  by  a  most  wonderful  command  over  the  muscles  of 
the  chest  and  limbs.  Their  frames  vibrated  with  the  music 
like  the  strings  of  the  violin,  and  as  the  song  grew  wild  and 
stormy  towards  its  close,  the  movements,  had  they  not  accord- 
ed with  it,  would  have  resembled  those  Of  a  person  seized  with 
some  violent  nervous  spasm.  After  this  had  continued  for  an 
incredible  length  of  time,  and  I  expected  to  see  the  Almehs 
fall  exhausted  to  the  earth,  the  music  ceased,  and  they  stood 
before  us  calm  and  cold,  with  their  breathing  not  perceptibly 
hurried.  The  dance  had  a  second  part,  of  very  different  char- 
acter. Still  with  their  lifted  hands  striking  the  little  cym- 
bals, they  marked  a  circle  of  springing  bounds,  in  which  their 
figures  occasionally  reminded  me  of  the  dancing  nymphs  of 
Greek  sculpture.  The  instant  before  touching  the  floor,  as 
they  hung  in  the  air  with  the  head  bent  forward,  one  foot 
thrown  behind,  and  both  arms  extended  above  the  head,  they 
were  drawn  on  the  background  of  the  dark  hall,  like  forms 
taken  from  the  frieze  of  a  temple  to  Bacchus  or  Pan. 

Eastern  politeness  did  not  require  us  to  cry  "  brava  ! "  or 
"  encore  ! "  so  we  merely  handed  our  pipes  to  Ali,  to  be  filled 
a  second  time.  Old  Achmet  Gourgar,  our  Theban  guide, 
however,  was  so  enraptured  that  he  several  times  ejaculated  ; 


13G  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

"  taib  Iceteer  /"  (very  good  indeed  !)  and  Bais  Hassan's  dark 
face  beamed  all  over  with  delight.  The  circle  of  white  tur- 
baned  heads  in  the  rear  looked  on  complacently,  and  our  guard, 
who  stood  in  the  moonlight  before  the  open  door,  almost  forgot 
his  duty  in  his  enjoyment  of  the  spectacle.  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  wild,  fantastic  picture  we  saw  that  night  in  the  ruins 
of  Luxor. 

The  Apple-Blossom,  who  followed  in  a  dance  with  one 
named  Bakhita,  pleased  me  far  better.  She  added  a  thousand 
graceful  embellishments  to  the  monotonous  soul  of  the  music ; 
and  her  dance,  if  barbaric,  was  as  poetic  as  her  native  palm- 
tree.  She  was  lithe  as  a  serpent,  and  agile  as  a  young  pan- 
ther, and  some  of  her  movements  were  most  extraordinary,  in 
the  nerve  and  daring  required  to  execute  them,  and  to  intro- 
duce them  without  neglecting  the  rhythm  of  the  dance.  More 
than  once  she  sank  slowly  back,  bending  her  knees  forward,  till 
her  head  and  shoulders  touched  the  floor,  and  then,  quick  as  a 
flash,  shot  flying  into  the  air,  her  foot  alighting  in  exact  time 
with  the  thump  of  the  drum.  She  had  the  power  of  moving 
her  body  from  side  to  side,  so  that  it  curved  like  a  snake  from 
the  hips  to  the  shoulders,  and  once  I  thought  that,  like  Lamia, 
she  was  about  to  resume  her  ancient  shape,  and  slip  out  of 
sight  through  some  hole  in  the  ruined  walls.  One  of  the 
dances  was  a  sort  of  pantomime,  which  she  and  Bakhita  accom- 
panied with  their  voices — clear,  shrill,  ringing  tones,  which 
never  faltered  for  a  moment,  or  varied  a  hair's  breadth  from 
the  melody,  while  every  muscle  was  agitated  with  the  exer- 
tion of  her  movements.  The  song  was  pervaded  with  a 
strange,  passionate  tremolo,  unlike  any  thing  I  ever  heard  be- 
fore.     The  burden  was  :  "I  am  alone ;   my  family  and  my 


THE    APPLE-BLOSSOM.  137 

friends  are  all  dead  ;  the  plague  has  destroyed  them.  Come, 
then,  to  me,  and  be  my  beloved,  for  I  have  no  other  to  love 
me."  Her  gestures  exhibited  a  singular  mixture  of  the  aban- 
donment of  grief,  and  the  longing  of  love.  While  her  body 
swayed  to  and  fro  with  the  wild,  sad  rhythm  of"  the  words,  she 
raised  both  arms  before  her  till  the  long  sleeves  fell  back  and 
covered  her  face :  then  opening  them  in  wistful  entreaty,  sang 
the  last  line  of  the  chorus,  and  bringing  her  hands  to  her  fore- 
head, relapsed  into  grief  again.  Apparently  the  prayer  is  an- 
swered, for  the  concluding  movement  expressed  a  delirious  joy. 

We  listened  to  the  music  and  looked  on  the  dances  for 
more  than  two  hours,  but  at  length  the  twanging  of  the  violin 
and  the  never-ending  drum-thumps  began  to  set  our  teeth  on 
edge,  and  we  unfolded  our  cramped  legs  and  got  down  from 
the  divan.  The  lantern  was  unswung,  the  candle-ends  taken 
from  the  empty  bottles,  the  Almehs  received  their  fees  and 
went  off  rejoicing,  and  we  left  the  chambers  of  Luxor  to  the 
night-wind  and  the  moon. 

The  guide  of  the  Eastern  bank,  a  wiry  young  Bedouin, 
was  in  attendance  next  morning,  and  a  crowd  of  horses  and 
asses  awaited  us  on  the  shore.  I  chose  a  brown  mare,  with  a 
small,  slender  head  and  keen  eye,  and  soon  accustomed  myself 
to  the  Turkish  saddle  and  broad  shovel-stirrups.  The  temple 
of  Luxor  is  imbedded  in  the  modern  village,  and  only  the 
front  of  the  pylon,  facing  towards  Karnak,  and  part  of  the 
grand  central  colonnade,  is  free  from  its  vile  excrescences. 
For  this  reason  its  effect  is  less  agreeable  than  that  of  the 
Memnonium,  although  of  much  grander  proportions.  Its  plan 
is  easily  traced,  nevertheless,  and  having  been  built  by  only 
two  monarchs,  Iiemeses  the  Great  and  Amunoph  III. — or,  to 


138  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

use  their  more  familiar  titles,  Sesostris  and  Memnon — it  is 
less  bewildering,  in  a  historical  point  of  view,  to  the  unstudied 
tourist,  than  most  of  the  other  temples  of  Egypt.  The  sanc- 
tuary, which  stands  nearest  the  Nile,  is  still  protected  by  the 
ancient  stone  quay,  though  the  river  has  made  rapid  advances, 
and  threatens  finally  to  undermine  Luxor  as  it  has  already  un- 
dermined the  temples  of  Antseopolis  and  Antinoe.  I  rode  into 
what  were  once  the  sacred  chambers,  but  the  pillars  and  sculp- 
tures were  covered  with  filth,  and  the  Arabs  had  built  in, 
around  and  upon  them,  like  the  clay  nests  of  the  cliff-sparrow. 
The  peristyle  of  majestic  Osiride  pillars,  in  front  of  the  por- 
tico, as  well  as  the  portico  itself,  are  buried  to  half  their  depth, 
and  so  surrounded  by  hovels,  that  to  get  an  idea  of  their  ar- 
rangement you  must  make  the  tour  of  a  number  of  hen-houses 
and  asses'  stalls.  The  pillars  are  now  employed  as  drying- 
posts  for  the  buffalo  dung  which  the  Arabs  use  as  fuel. 

Proceeding  towards  the  entrance,  the  next  court,  which  is 
tolerably  free  from  incumbrances,  contains  a  colonnade  of  two 
rows  of  lotus-crowned  columns,  twenty-eight  feet  in  circum- 
ference. They  still  uphold  their  architraves  of  giant  blocks 
of  sandstone,  and  rising  high  above  the  miserable  dwellings  of 
the  village,  are  visible  from  every  part  of  the  plain  of  Thebes. 
The  English  Vice-Consul,  Mustapha  Agha,  occupies  a  house 
between  two  of  these  pillars.  We  returned  the  visit  he  had 
paid  us  on  our  arrival,  and  were  regaled  with  the  everlasting 
coffee  and  shebook,  than  which  there  is  no  more  grateful  re- 
freshment. He  gave  us  the  agreeable  news  that  Mr.  Murray 
was  endeavoring  to  persuade  the  Pasha  to  have  Karnak  cleared 
of  its  rubbish  and  preserved  from  further  spoliation.  If  I  pos- 
sessed despotic  power — and  I  then  wished  it  for  the  first  time 


AN    EGYPTIAN    SCHOOL.  139 

— I  should  certainly  make  despotic  use  of  it,  in  tearing  down 
some  dozens  of  villages  and  setting  some  thousands  of  Copts 
and  Fellahs  at  work  in  exhuming  what  their  ancestors  have 
mutilated  and  buried.  The  world  cannot  spare  these  remains. 
Tear  down  Roman  ruins  if  you  will ;  level  Cyclopean  walls  ; 
build  bridges  with  the  stones  of  Gothic  abbeys  and  feudal  for- 
tresses ;  but  lay  no  hand  on  the  glory  and  grandeur  of  Egypt. 

In  order  to  ascend  the  great  pylon  of  the  temple,  we  were 
obliged  to  pass  through  a  school,  in  which  thirty  or  forty  little 
Luxorians  were  conning  their  scraps  of  the  Koran.  They  im- 
mediately surrounded  us,  holding  up  their  tin  slates,  scribbled 
with  Arabic  characters,  for  our  inspection,  and  demanded  back- 
sheesh for  their  proficiency.  The  gray-bearded  pedagogue  tried 
to  quiet  them,  but  could  not  prevent  several  from  following 
us.  The  victories  of  Remeses  are  sculptured  on  the  face  of 
the  towers  of  the  pylon,  but  his  colossi,  solid  figures  of  granite, 
which  sit  on  either  side  of  the  entrance,  have  been  much  de- 
faced. The  lonely  obelisk,  which  stands  a  little  in  advance, 
on  the  left  hand,  is  more  perfect  than  its  Parisian  mate.  From 
this  stately  entrance,  an  avenue  of  colossal  sphinxes  once  ex- 
tended to  the  Ptolemaic  pylon  of  Karnak,  a  distance  of  a  mile 
and  a  half.  The  sphinxes  have  disappeared,  but  the  modern 
Arab  road  leads  over  its  site,  through  fields  of  waste  grass. 

And  now  we  galloped  forward,  through  a  long  procession 
of  camels,  donkeys,  and  Desert  Arabs  armed  with  spears, 
towards  Karnak,  the  greatest  ruin  in  the  world,  the  crowning 
triumph  of  Egyptian  power  and  Egyptian  art.  Except  a 
broken  stone  here  and  there  protruding  through  the  soil,  the 
plain  is  as  desolate  as  if  it  had  never  been  conscious  of  a 
human  dwelling,  and  only  on  reaching  the  vicinity  of  the  mud 


140  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

hamiet  of  Karnak,  can  the  traveller  realize  that  he  is  in  Thebes. 
Here  the  camel-path  drops  into  a  broad  excavated  avenue, 
lined  with  fragments  of  sphinxes  and  shaded  by  starveling 
acacias.  As  you  advance,  the  sphinxes  are  better  preserved 
and  remain  seated  on  their  pedestals,  but  they  have  all  been 
decapitated.  Though  of  colossal  proportions,  they  are  seated 
so  close  to  each  other,  that  it  must  have  required  nearly  two 
thousand  to  form  the  double  row  to  Luxor.  The  avenue  final- 
ly reaches  a  single  pylon,  of  majestic  proportions,  built  by  one 
of  the  Ptolemies,  and  covered  with  profuse  hieroglyphics. 
Passing  through  this,  the  sphinxes  lead  you  to  another  pylon, 
followed  by  a  pillared  court  and  a  temple  built  by  the  later 
Remesides.  This,  I  thought,  while  my  friend  was  measuring 
the  girth  of  the  pillars,  is  a  good  beginning  for  Karnak,  but  it 
is  certainly  much  less  than  I  expect.  "  Tcial  min  liennee !  " 
(come  this  way!)  called  the  guide,  as  if  reading  my  mind,  and 
led  me  up  the  Leaps  of  rubbish  to  the  roof  and  pointed  to  the 
north. 

Ah,  there  was  Karnak  !  Had  I  been  blind  up  to  this  time, 
or  had  the  earth  suddenly  heaved  out  of  her  breast  the  remains 
of  the  glorious  temple  ?  From  all  parts  of  the  plain  of  Thebes 
I  had  seen  it  in  the  distance — a  huge  propylon,  a  shattered 
portico,  and  an  obelisk,  rising  above  the  palms.  Whence  this 
wilderness  of  ruins,  spreading  so  far  as  to  seem  a  city  rather 
than  a  temple — pylon  after  pylon,  tumbling  into  enormous 
cubes  of  stone,  long  colonnades,  supporting  fragments  of  Titan- 
ic roofs,  obelisks  of  red  granite,  and  endless  walls  and  avenues, 
branching  out  to  isolated  portals  ?  Yet  they  stood  as  silently 
amid  the  accumulated  rubbish  of  nearly  four  thousand  years, 
and  the  sunshine  threw  its  yellow  lustre  as  serenely  over  the 


141 


despoiled  sanctuaries,  as  if  it  had  never  "been  otherwise,  since 
the  world  began.  Figures  are  of  no  use,  in  describing  a  place 
like  this,  but  since  I  must  use  them,  I  may  say  that  the  length 
of  the  ruins  before  us,  from  west  to  east,  was  twelve  hundred 
feet,  and  that  the  total  circumference  of  Karnak,  including  its 
numerous  pylae,  or  gateways,  is  a  mile  and  a  half. 

We  mounted  and  rode  with  fast-beating  hearts  to  the  west- 

'  ern  or  main  entrance,  facing  the  Nile.  The  two  towers  of  the 
propylon — pyramidal  masses  of  solid  stone — are  three  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  feet  in  length,  and  the  one  which  is  least  ruined, 
is  nearly  one  hundred  feet  in  height.  On  each  side  of  the  sculp- 
tured portal  connecting  them,  is  a  tablet  left  by  the  French 
army,  recording  the  geographical  position  of  the  principal 
Egyptian  temples.  We  passed  through  and  entered  an  open 
court,  more  than  three  hundred  feet  square,  with  a  corridor  of 
immense  pillars  on  each  side,  connecting  it  with  the  towers  of 
a  second  pylon,  nearly  as  gigantic  as  the  first.  A  colonnade 
of  lofty  shafts,  leading  through  the  centre  of  the  court,  once 
united  the  two  entrances,  but  they  have  all  been  hurled  down 
and  lay  as  they  fell,  in  long  lines  of  disjointed  blocks,  except 
one,  which  holds  its  solitary  lotus-bell  against  the  sky.     Two 

*  mutilated  colossi  of  red  granite  still  guard  the  doorway,  whose 
lintel-stones  are  forty  feet  in  length.  Climbing  over  the  huge 
fragments  which  have  fallen  from  above  and  almost  blocked  up 
the  passage,  we  looked  down  into  the  grand  hall  of  the  temple. 
I  knew  the  dimensions  of  this  hall,  beforehand ;  I  knew  the 
number  and  size  of  the  pillars,  but  I  was  no  more  prepared  for 
the  reality  than  those  will  be,  who  may  read  this  account  of  it 
and  afterwards  visit  Karnak  for  them,  elves.  It  is  the  great 
good-luck  of  travel  that  many  things  must  be  seen  to  be  known. 


142  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Nothing  could  have  compensated  for  the  loss  of  that  over- 
whelming confusion  of  awe,  astonishment,  and  delight,  which 
Came  upon  me  like  a  flood.  I  looked  down  an  avenue  of  twelve 
pillars — six  on  each  side — each  of  which  was  thirty-six  feet  in 
circumference  and  nearly  eighty  feet  in  height.  Crushing  as 
were  these  ponderous  ^masses  of  sculptured  stone,  the  spreading 
bell  of  the  lotus-blossoms  which  crowned  them,  clothed  them 
with  an  atmosphere  of  lightness  and  grace.  In  front,  over  the' 
top  of  another  pile  of  colossal  blocks,  two  obelisks  rose  sharp 
and  clear,  with  every  emblem  legible  on  their  polished  sides, 
On  each  side  of  the  main  aisle  are  seven  other  rows  of  columns 
— one  hundred  and  twenty-two,  in  all — each  of  which  is  about 
fifty  feet  high  and  twenty-seven  in  circumference.  They  have 
the  Osiride  form,  without  capitals,  and  do  not  range  with  the 
central  shafts.  In  the  efforts  of  the  conquerors  to  overthrow 
them,  two  have  been  hurled  from  their  places  and  thrown 
against  the  neighboring  ones,  where  they  still  lean,  as  if  weary 
with  holding  up  the  roof  of  massive  sandstone.  I  walked  alone 
through  this  hall,  trying  to  bear  the  weight  of  its  unutterable 
majesty  and  beauty.  That  I  had  been  so  oppressed  by  Den- 
dera,  seemed  a  weakness  which  I  was  resolved  to  conquer,  and 
I  finally  succeeded  in  looking  on  Karnak  with  a  calmness  more 
commensurate  with  its  sublime  repose — but  not  by  daylight. 

My  ride  back  to  Luxor,  towards  evening,  was  the  next 
best  thing  after  Karnak.  The  little  animal  I  rode  had  become 
excited  by  jumping  over  stones  and  sliding  down  sand-heaps ; 
our  guide  began  to  show  his  Bedouin  blood  by  dashing  at  full 
gallop  toward  the  pylons  and  reining  in  his  horse  at  a  bound; 
and,  to  conclude,  I  became  infected  with  a  lawless  spirit  that 
could  not  easily  be  laid.     The  guide's  eyes    sparkled  when  1 


BEDOUIN    DIVERSIONS.  143 

proposed  a  race.  "We  left  my  friend  and  the  water-carriers, 
bounded  across  the  avenue  of  sphinxes,  and  took  a  smooth  path 
leading  toward  the  Desert.  My  mare  needed  but  a  word  and 
a  jog  of  the  iron  stirrup.  Away  we  flew,  our  animals  stretch- 
ing themselves  for  a  long  heat,  crashing  the  dry  dourra-stalks, 
clearing  the  water-ditches,  and  scattering  on  all  sides  the  Arab 
laborers  we  met.  After  a  glorious  gallop  of  two  or  three  miles 
my  antagonist  was  fairly  distanced  ;  but  one  race  would  not 
content  him,  so  we  had  a  second,  and  finally  a  third,  on  the 
beach  of  Luxor.  The  horses  belonged  to  him,  and  it  was  a 
matter  of  indifference  which  was  the  swiftest ;  he  raced  mere- 
ly for  the  delight  of  it,  and  so  did  I. 

The  same  gallant  mare  was  ready  for  me  at  night.  It  was 
precisely  full  moon,  and  I  had  determined  on  visiting  Karnak 
again  before  leaving.  There  was  no  one  but  the  guide  and  I, 
he  armed  with  his  long  spear,  and  I  with  my  pistols  in  my 
belt.  There  was  a  wan  haze  in  the  air,  and  a  pale  halo  around 
the  moon,  on  each  side  of  which  appeared  two  faint  mock- 
moons.  It  was  a  ghostly  light,  and  the  fresh  north-wind, 
coming  up  the  Nile,  rustled  solemnly  in  the  palm-trees.  We 
trotted  silently  to  Karnak,  and  leaped  our  horses  over  the  frag- 
ments until  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  first  obelisk.  Here  we 
dismounted  and  entered  the  grand  hall  of  pillars.  There  was  no 
sound  in  all  the  temple,  and  the  guide,  who  seemed  to  compre- 
hend my  wish,  moved  behind  me  as  softly  as  a  shadow,  and 
spoke  not  a  word.  It  needs  this  illumination  to  comprehend 
Karnak.  The  unsightly  rubbish  has  disappeared :  the  rents  in 
the  roof  are  atoned  for  by  the  moonlight  they  admit ;  the  frag- 
ments shivered  from  the  lips  of  the  mighty  capitals  are  only 
the  crumpled  edges  of  the  flower  5  a  maze  of  shadows  hides  the 


144  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

desolation  of  the  courts,  but  every  pillar  and  obelisk,  pylon  and 
propylon  is  glorified  by  the  moonlight.  The  soul  of  Karnak 
is  soothed  and  tranquillized.  Its  halls  look  upon  you  no  longer 
with  an  aspect  of  pain  and  humiliation.  Every  stone  seems  to 
say  :  "I  am  not  fallen,  for  I  have  defied  the  ages.  I  am  a 
part  of  that  grandeur  which  has  never  seen  its  peer,  and  I  shall 
endure  for  ever,  for  the  world  has  need  of  me." 

I  climbed  to  the  roof,  and  sat  looking  down  into  the 
hushed  and  awful  colonnades,  till  I  was  thoroughly  penetrated 
with  their  august  and  sublime  expression.  I  should  probably 
have  remained  all  night,  an  amateur  colossus,  with  my  hands 
on  my  knees,  had  not  the  silence  been  disturbed  by  two  arri- 
vals of  romantic  tourists — an  Englishman  and  two  Frenchmen. 
We  exchanged  salutations,  and  I  mounted  the  restless  mare 
again,  touched  her  side  with  the  stirrup,  and  sped  back  to 
Luxor.  The  guide  galloped  beside  me,  occasionally  hurling 
his  spear  into  the  air  and  catching  it  as  it  fell,  delighted  with 
my  readiness  to  indulge  his  desert  whims.  I  found  the  cap- 
tain and  sailors  all  ready  and  niy  friend  smoking  his  pipe  on 
deck.     In  half  an  hour  we  had  left  Thebes. 


THE    TEMPLE    OF    HERMONTIS.  145 


CHAPTER    XI. 

FROM  THEBES  TO  THE  NUBIAN  FRONTIER. 

The  Temple  of  Hermontis— Esneh  and  its  Temple— The  Governor— El  Kab  by  Torch- 
light—The  Temple  of  Edfou— The  Quarries  of  Djebel  Silsileh— Ombos— Approach 
to  N  ubia — Change  in  the  Scenery  and  Inhabitants — A  Mirage  —Arrival  at  Assouan. 

Our  journey  from  Thebes  to  Assouan  occupied  six  days,  in- 
cluding a  halt  of  twenty-four  hours  at  Esneh.  We  left  Luxor 
on  the  night  of  December  8th,  but  the  westward  curve  of  the 
Nile  brought  us  in  opposition  with  the  wind,  and  the  next  day 
at  noon  we  had  only  reached  Erment,  the  ancient  Hermontis, 
in  sight  of  the  three  peaks  of  the  Theban  hills.  We  left  our 
men  to  tug  the  boat  along  shore,  and  wandered  off  to  the 
mounds  of  the  old  city,  still  graced  with  a  small  temple,  or 
lying-in  house  of  the  goddess  Reto,  who  is  here  represented  as 
giving  birth  to  the  god  Hor-pire.  The  sculptures  in  the  dark 
chambess,  now  used  as  stalls  for  asses,  were  evidently  intend- 
ed only  for  the  priesthood  of  the  temple,  and  are  not  repeated, 
as  are  those  of  other  temples,  in  the  halls  open  to  the  public. 
Notwithstanding  the  great  license  which  the  Egyptian  faith 
assumed,  its  symbols  are,  in  general,  scrupulously  guarded 
from  all  low  and  unworthy  forms  of  representation. 

The  group  of  pillars  in  the  outer  court  charmed  us  by  the 
7 


146  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

richness  and  variety  of  their  designs.  No  two  capitals  are  of 
similar  pattern,  while  in  their  combinations  of  the  papyrus,  the 
lotus  and  the  palm-leaf,  they  harmonize  one  with  another  and 
as  a  whole.  The  abacus,  between  the  capital  and  the  archi- 
trave, is  so  high  as  almost  to  resemble  a  second  shaft.  In 
Karnak  and  the  Memnonium  it  is  narrow,  and  lifts  the  pon- 
derous beam  just  enough  to  prevent  its  oppressing  the  lightness 
of  the  capital.  I  was  so  delighted  with  the  pillars  of  Hermon- 
tis  that  I  scarcely  knew  whether  to  call  this  peculiarity  a  grace 
or  a  defect.  I  have  never  seen  it  employed  in  modern  archi- 
tecture, and  judge  therefore  that  it  has  either  been  condemned 
by  our  rules  or  that  our  architects  have  not  the  skill  and  dar- 
ing of  the  Egyptians. 

We  reached  Esneh  the  same  night,  but  were  obliged  to  re- 
main all  the  next  day  in  order  to  allow  our  sailors  to  bake 
their  bread.  We  employed  the  time  in  visiting  the  temple, 
the  only  remnant  of  the  ancient  Latopolis,  and  the  palace  of 
Abbas  Pasha,  on  the  bank  of  the  Nile.  The  portico  of  the 
temple,  half  buried  in  rubbish,  like  that  of  Dendera,  which  it 
resembles  in  design,  is  exceedingly  beautiful.  Each  of  its 
twenty-four  columns  is  crowned  with  a  different  capital,  so 
chaste  and  elegant  in  their  execution  that  it  is  impossible  to 
give  any  one  the  preference.  The  designs  are  mostly  copied 
from  the  doum-palm,  the  date-palm,  and  the  lotus,  *but  the 
cane,  the  vine,  and  various  water-plants  are  also  introduced. 
The  building  dates  from  the  time  of  the  Ptolemies,  and  its 
sculptures  are  uninteresting.  We  devoted  all  our  time  to  the 
study  of  the  capitals,  a  labyrinth  of  beauty,  in  which  we  were 
soon  entangled.  The  Governor  of  Esneh,  Ali  Effendi,  a  most 
friendly  and  agreeable  Arab,  accompanied  us  through  the  tern- 


EL    KAB    BY    TORCHLIGHT.  ]  47 

pie,  and  pointed  out  all  the  fishes,  birds  and  crocodiles  he 
could  find.  To  him  they  were  evidently  the  most  interesting 
things  in  it.  He  asked  me  how  old  the  building  was,  and  by 
whom  it  had  been  erected.  On  leaving,  we  accepted  his  invi- 
tation to  partake  of  coffee  and  pipes.  The  visit  took  place  in 
due  form,  with  many  grave  salutations,  which  we  conscien- 
tiously imitated.  Achmet  had  returned  to  our  boat,  and  my 
small  stock  of  Arabic  was  soon  exhausted,  but  we  managed  to 
exchange  all  the  necessary  common-places. 

The  day  of  leaving  Esneh,  we  reached  El  Kab,  the  ancient 
Eleuthyas,  whose  rock-tombs  are  among  the  most  curious  in 
Egypt.  We  landed  at  twilight,  provided  with  candles,  and 
made  our  way  through  fields  of  wiry  half  eh  grass,  and  through 
a  breach  in  the  brick  wall  of  the  ancient  town,  to  the  Arabian 
Desert.  It  was  already  dark,  but  our  guide,  armed  with  his 
long  spear,  stalked  vigorously  forward,  and  brought  us  safely 
up  the  mountain  path  to  the  entrances  of  the  sepulchres. 
There  are  a  large  number  of  these,  but  only  two  are  worth 
visiting,  on  account  of  the  light  which  they  throw  on  the  social 
life  of  the  Egyptians.  The  owner  of  the  tomb  and  his  wife — 
a  red  man  and  a  yellow  woman — are  here  seen,  receiving  the 
delighted  guests.  Seats  are  given  them,  and  each  is  presented 
with  an  aromatic  flower,  while  the  servants  in  the  kitchen 
hasten  to  prepare  savory  dishes.  In  other  compartments,  all 
the  most  minute  processes  of  agriculture  are  represented  with 
wonderful  fidelity.  So  little  change  has  taken  place  in  three 
thousand  years,  that  they  would  answer,  with  scarcely  a  cor- 
rection, as  illustrations  of  the  Fellah  agriculture  of  Modern 
Egypt. 

The  next  morning  we  walked  ahead  to  the  temple  of  Edfou; 


148  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

shooting  a  few  brace  of  fat  partridges  by  the  way,  and  scaring 
two  large  jackals  from  their  lairs  in  the  thick  grass.  The 
superb  pylon  of  the  temple  rose  above  the  earthy  mounds  of 
Apollinopolis  like  a  double-truncated  pyramid.  It  is  in  an 
entire  state  of  preservation,  with  all  its  internal  chambers,  pas- 
sages and  stairways.  The  exterior  is  sculptured  with  colossal 
figures  of  the  gods,  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  from  the  base 
of  the  portal  to  the  scroll-like  cornice  of  the  pylon,  is  more 
than  a  hundred  feet.  Through  the  door  we  entered  a  large  open 
court,  surrounded  by  a  colonnade.  The  grand  portico  of  the 
temple,  buried  nearly  to  the  tops  of  its  pillars,  faced  us,  and 
we  could  only  judge,  from  the  designs  of  the  capitals  and  the 
girth  of  the  shaft,  the  imposing  effect  which  it  must  have  pro- 
duced on  those  who  entered  the  court.  The  interior  is  totally 
filled  with  rubbish,  and  a  whole  village  of  Arab  huts  stands  on 
the  roof. 

A  strong  wind  carried  us,  before  sunset,  to  the  quarries  of 
Djebel  Silsileh,  the  "  Mountain  of  the  Chain,1'  where  the  Nile 
is  compressed  between  two  rugged  sandstone  hills.  The  river 
is  not  more  than  three  hundred  yards  broad,  and  the  approach 
to  this  rocky  gateway,  after  so  many  weeks  of  level  alluvial 
plain,  is  very  striking.  Here  are  the  sandstone  quarries  whence 
the  huge  blocks  were  cut,  to  build  the  temples  and  shape  the 
colossi  of  Thebes.  They  lie  on  the  eastern  bank,  close  to  the 
river,  and  the  ways  down  which  the  stones  were  slid  to  the 
vessels  that  received  them,  are  still  to  be  seen.  The  stone  is 
of  a  pale  reddish-brown  color,  and  a  very  fine  and  clear  grain. 
It  appears  to  have  been  divided  into  squares  of  the  proper  size, 
and  cut  from  above  downward.  The  shape  of  many  of  the 
enormous  blocks  may  be  easily  traced.     In  one  place  the  rock 


THE    RUINS    OF    OMBOS.  149 

has  been  roughly  hewn  into  a  sort  of  temple,  supported  by  pil- 
lars thirty  feet  square,  and  with  an  entrance  as  grand  and  rude 
as  a  work  of  the  Titans. 

In  the  morning  we  awoke  in  the  shadow  of  Ombos,  which 
stands  on  a  hill  overlooking  the  Nile,  into  which  its  temple  to 
Isis  has  fallen.  Little  now  remains  of  the  great  temple  to 
Savak,  the  crocodile-headed  god,  the  deity  of  Ombos,  but  its 
double  portico,  supported  by  thirteen  pillars,  buried  nearly 
waist-deep  in  the  sands.  The  aspect  of  these  remains,  seated 
on  the  lonely  promontory  commanding  the  course  of  the  river 
and  the  harvest-land  of  the  opposite  shore,  while  the  stealthy 
Desert  approaches  it  from  behind,  and  year  by  year  heaps  the 
sand  higher  against  the  shattered  sanctuary,  is  sadly  touching. 
We  lingered  and  lingered  around  its  columns,  loth  to  leave  the 
ruined  grace  which  a  very  few  years  will  obliterate.  Two  such 
foes  as  the  Nile  and  the  Desert  make  rapid  progress,  where  no 
human  hand  is  interposed  to  stay  them.  As  we  sailed  away,  a 
large  crocodile,  perhaps  Savak  himself,  lay  motionless  on  a 
sand-bank  with  his  long  snout  raised  in  the  air. 

We  were  two  days  in  sailing  from  Ombos  to  Assouan, 
owing  to  a  dead  calm,  the  first  in  two  weeks.  The  nights  were 
very  cool,  and  the  mid-day  temperature  not  too  warm  for  com- 
fort. One  morning  my  thermometer  stood  at  40°;  the  Arabs 
complained  bitterly  of  the  cold,  and,  wrapped  in  their  woolen 
mantles,  crawled  about  the  deck  as  languidly  as  benumbed  flies. 
At  noon  the  mercury  did  not  often  rise  above  75°  in  the 
shade.  As  we  approach  Nubia,  the  scenery  of  the  river 
undergoes  a  complete  change.  The  rugged  hills  of  black  sand- 
stone and  granite  usurp  the  place  of  the  fields,  and  leave  but  a 
narrow  strip  of  cultivable  land  on  either  side.     The  Arabs  are 


150  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

darker  and  show  the  blood  of  the  desert  tribes  in  their  features. 
They  are,  however,  exceedingly  friendly.  The  day  before 
reaching  Assouan,  we  walked  ahead  of  our  boat  and  were 
obliged  to  wait  two  or  three  hours.  We  had  a  retinue  of  boys, 
who  pummelled  one  another  as  to  which  should  pick  up  the 
pigeons  we  shot.  The  successful  one  came  bounding  back  with 
a  face  sparkling  with  delight,  and  kissed  the  bird  and  touched 
it  to  his  forehead  as  he  gave  it  to  us.  As  we  were  resting 
under  the  palm-trees,  my  friend  regretted  that  we  had  not 
brought  our  shebooks  along  with  us.  One  of  the  Arabs,  guess- 
ing his  wish  from  the  word  "  shebook,"  instantly  ran  off  and 
scoured  the  dourra-fields  until  he  found  a  laborer  who  owned 
a  pipe.  He  brought  the  man  back,  with  the  sickle  in  his  hand 
and  a  corn-stalk  pipe  of  very  indifferent  tobacco,  which  he 
gravely  presented  to  my  friend.  Before  returning  on  board  we 
saw  a  wonderful  mirage.  Two  small  lakes  of  blue  water,  glit- 
tering in  the  sun,  lay  spread  in  the  yellow  sands,  apparently 
not  more  than  a  mile  distant.  There  was  not  the  least  sign 
of  vapor  in  the  air,  and  as  we  were  quite  unacquainted  with  the 
appearance  of  the  mirage,  we  decided  that  the  lakes  were  Nile- 
water,  left  from  the  inundation.  I  pointed  to  them  and  asked 
the  Arabs :  "  Is  that  water  ?  "  "  No,  no  !  "  they  all  exclaimed : 
"that  is  no  water — that  is  a  bahr Sliaytan J '"  (a  river  of  the 
Devil). 

The  white  tomb  of  a  Moslem  saint,  sparkling  in  the  noon 
day  sun,  on  the  summit  of  a  hill  overlooking  the  Nile,  finally 
announced  our  arrival  at  the  Nubian  frontier.  We  now  beheld 
the  palms  of  Assouan  and  the  granite  cliffs  beyond — which 
we  had  been  so  impatient  to  reach,  a  few  hours  before — with 
regret,  almost  with  dread.     This  was  our  point  of  separation. 


THE    NUBIAN    FRONTIER.  151 

My  pathway  was  through  those  desolate  hills,  into  the  heart 
of  Nubia,  into  the  Desert,  and  the  strange  countries  beyond, 
where  so  few  had  been  before  me.  The  vestibule  was  passed  : 
Egypt  lay  behind  me.  The  long  landscape  of  the  Nile  was 
but  the  dromos  to  that  temple  of  African  life,  whose  adytum 
was  still  far  in  advance,  deep  in  the  fiery  tropical  silence  of 
Ethiopia.  While  my  blood  thrilled  at  the  prospect,  and  the 
thirst  of  adventure  and  discovery  inspired  me  as  the  wind  of 
the  Desert  inspires  the  Arab  charger,  I  could  not  part  with  in- 
difference from  the  man  who  had  shared  with  me  the  first  au- 
gust impression,  the  sublime  fascination  of  Egypt.  Nor  was 
the  prospect  of  a  solitary  voyage  back  to  Cairo  at  all  cheering 
to  him.  Achmet  would  of  course  accompany  me,  and  the  cook, 
Salame,  wrho  knew  barely  twenty  words  of  French  and  Italian, 
must  perforce  act  as  dragoman.  My  friend  was  therefore  com- 
pletely at  the  mercy  of  the  captain  and  crew,  and  saw  nothing 
but  annoyance  and  embarrassment  before  him.  I  had  much 
trust  in  RaTs  Hassan's  honesty  and  good  faith,  and  wras  glad 
to  learn,  several  months  afterwards,  that  his  conduct  had  con- 
firmed it. 


152  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

PHILiE      AND      THE      CATARACT. 

An  Official  Visit — Achmet/s  Dexterity — The  Island  of  Elephantine — Nuhian  Children- 
Trip  to  Philae— Linant  Bey— The  Island  of  Philae— Sculptures— The  Negro  Race- 
Breakfast  in  a  Ptolemaic  Temple— The  Island  of  Biggeh— Backsheesh— The  Cataract 
— The  Granite  Quarries  of  Assouan — The  Travellers  separate. 

"  Where  Nile  reflects  the  endless  length 
Of  dark-red  colonnades." — Macaulat. 

"We  had  scarcely  moored  our  vessel  to  the  beach  at  Assou- 
an, before  a  messenger  of  the  Governor  arrived  to  ask  if  there 
was  an  American  on  board.  He  received  the  information,  and 
we  were  occupied  in  preparing  ourselves  for  an  excursion  to 
the  island  of  Elephantine,  when  Achmet  called  to  us  :  "  The 
Governor  is  coming."  We  had  no  time  to  arrange  our  cabin 
for  his  reception ;  he  was  already  at  the  door,  with  two  attend- 
ants, and  the  most  I  could  do  was  to  clear  sufficient  space  for 
a  seat  on  my  divan.  His  Excellency  was  a  short,  stout,  broad- 
faced  man,  with  large  eyes,  a  gray  beard  and  a  flat  nose.  He 
wore  a  semi-European  dress  of  brown  cloth,  and  was  blunt 
though  cordial  in  his  manners.  His  attendants,  one  of  whom 
wa3  the  Captain  of  the  Cataract,  wore  the  Egyptian  dress, 
with  black  turbans.     They  saluted  us  by  touching  their  hands 


THE    GOVERNORS    VISIT.  153 

to  the  lips  and  forehead,  and  we  responded  in  similar  manner, 
after  which  the  Governor  inquired  after  our  health  and  we  in- 
quired after  his.  I  delivered  my  letter,  and  while  he  was  occu- 
pied in  reading  it,  Achmet  prepared  the  coffee  and  pipes. 
Luckily,  we  had  three  shebooks,  the  best  of  which,  having  an 
amber  mouth-piece,  was  presented  to  the  Governor.  I  waited 
for  the  coffee  with  some  trepidation,  for  I  knew  we  had  but 
two  Turkish  finjans,  and  a  Frank  cup  was  out  of  the  question. 
However,  Achmet  was  a  skilful  servant.  He  presented  the 
cups  at  such  intervals  that  one  was  sure  to  be  empty  while  the 
other  was  full,  and  artfully  drew  away  the  attention  of  our 
guests  by  his  ceremonious  presentations ;  so  that  not  only  they 
but  both  of  us  partook  twice  of  coffee,  without  the  least 
embarrassment,  and  I  believe,  had  there  been  ten  persons 
instead  of  five,  he  would  have  given  the  two  cups  the  effect  of 
ten. 

After  the  Governor  had  expressed  his  pleasure  in  flowing 
Oriental  phrases,  and  promised  to  engage  me  a  boat  for  Koros- 
ko,  he  took  his  leave  and  we  crossed  in  a  ferry  barge  to  Ele- 
phantine. This  is  a  small  but  fertile  island,  whose  granite 
foundations  are  fast  anchored  in  the  Nile.  It  once  was  cover- 
ed with  extensive  ruins,  but  they  have  all  been  destroyed  ex- 
cept a  single  gateway  and  an  altar  to  Amun,  both  of  red  gran- 
ite, and  a  sitting  statue  of  marble.  The  southern  part  is  en- 
tirely covered  with  the  ruins  of  a  village  of  unburnt  brick,  from 
the  topmost  piles  of  which  we  enjoyed  a  fine  view  of  the  pic- 
turesque environs  of  Assouan.  The  bed  of  the  Nile,  to  the 
south,  was  broken  with  isles  of  dark-red  granite  rock,  the  same 
formation  which  appears  in  the  jagged  crests  of  the  mountains 
beyond  the  city.  Scattered  over  them  were  the  tombs  of  holy 
7* 


154  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

men,  dating  from  the  times  of  the  Saracens.  A  thin  palm- 
grove  somewhat  concealed  the  barren  aspect  of  the  city,  but. 
our  glances  passed  it,  to  rest  on  the  distant  hills,  kindling  in 
the  setting  sun. 

The  island  is  inhabited  by  Nubians,  and  some  twenty  or 
thirty  children,  of  from  six  to  ten  years  of  age — the  boys  entire- 
ly naked,  the  girls  wearing  the  rahad,  a  narrow  leathern  girdle, 
around  the  loins — surrounded  us,  crying  "backsheesh/"  and 
offering  for  sale  bits  of  agate,  coins,  and  fragments  of  pottery. 
Some  of  them  had  cunning  but  none  of  them  intelligent  faces  ; 
and  their  large  black  eyes  had  an  astonishingly  precocious  ex- 
pression of  sensuality.  We  bought  a  few  trifles  and  tried  to 
dismiss  them,  but  their  numbers  increased,  so  that  by  the  time 
we  had  made  the  tour  of  the  island  we  had  a  retinue  of  fifty 
followers.  I  took  the  branches  of  henna  they  offered  me  and 
switched  the  most  impudent  of  them,  but  they  seemed  then  to 
consider  that  they  had  a  rightful  claim  to  the  backsheesh,  and 
were  more  importunate  than  ever.  As  we  left,  they  gathered 
on  the  shore  and  sang  us  a  farewell  chorus,  but  a  few  five  para 
pieces,  thrown  among  them,  changed  the  harmony  into  a 
scramble  and  a  fight,  in  which  occupation  these  lovely  children 
of  Nature  were  engaged  until  we  lost  sight  of  them. 

The  next  day  we  visited  Philae.  We  took  donkeys  and  a 
guide  and  threaded  the  dismal  valley  of  Saracenic  tombs  south 
of  the  town,  into  a  pass  leading  through  the  granite  hills. 
The  landscape  was  wintry  in  its  bleakness  and  ruggedness. 
The  path  over  which  we  rode  was  hard  sand  and  gravel,  and 
on  both  sides  the  dark  rocks  were  piled  in  a  thousand  wonder- 
ful combinations.  On  the  surface  there  is  no  appearance  of 
regular  strata,  but  rather  of  some  terrible  convulsion,  which 


LIN  ANT    BEY.  155 

has  broken  the  immense  masses  and  thrown  them  confusedly 
together.  Kussegger  noticed  that  the  structure  of  the  primi- 
tive strata  of  Assouan  was  exactly  similar  to  that  of  Northern 
Lapland.  The  varieties  of  landscape,  in  different  climates, 
depend  therefore  upon  the  difference  of  vegetation  and  of  atmos- 
pheric effect,  rather  than  that  of  geological  forms,  which  al- 
ways preserve  their  identity.  Dr.  Kane  also  found  in  the 
bleak  hills  of  Greenland  the  same  structure  which  he  had 
observed  in  the  Ghauts  of  tropical  India. 

After  three  or  four  miles  of  this  travel  the  pass  opened 
upon  the  Nile,  just  above  the  Cataract.  At  the  termination 
of  the  portage  is  a  Nubian  village,  whose  plantations  of  doum 
and  date-palms  and  acacias  are  dazzling  in  their  greenness, 
from  contrast  with  the  bleak  pyramids  of  rock  and  the  tawny 
drifts  of  the  Lybian  sands  on  the  western  bank.  We  rode 
down  to  the  port,  where  a  dozen  trading  vessels  lay  at  anchor, 
and  took  a  large  boat  for  Philae.  The  Governor  of  Assouan 
was  there,  and  His  Excellency  showed  me  the  vessel  he  had 
engaged  for  me — a  small  and  rather  old  dahabiyeh,  but  the 
best  to  be  had.  The  price  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  piastres 
for  the  trip — about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles — besides 
something  for  the  men.  Achmet  attributed  this  moderate  de- 
mand to  the  effect  of  a  timely  present,  which  had  been  deli- 
cately conveyed  into  the  Governors  hands  the  night  before. 
There  was  a  tall  gentleman,  in  the  official  Egyptian  costume, 
in  company  with  the  Governor.  Achmet  said  he  was  a  French 
engineer  in  the  service  of  Abbas  Pasha,  and  I  afterwards 
learned  that  he  was  none  other  than  M.  Linant,  or  Linant 
Bey  whose  name  is  so  well  known  through  his  connection 
with  the  exploration  of  Petra,  and  of  the  antiquities  in  Ethio- 


156  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

pia.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  a  French  lady,  who 
greeted  us  courteously,  and  two  daughters  of  semi-Abyssiniau 
origin.  The  latter  were  dressed  in  Oriental  costume,  but  un- 
veiled. M.  Linant  is  a  tall,  grave  person,  about  fifty  years  of 
age.  He  wore  a  crescent  of  diamonds  on  his  breast,  and  his 
features  expressed  all  the  dignity  and  repose  of  one  who  had 
become  thoroughly  naturalized  in  the  East. 

As  the  wind  carried  us  out  into  the  stream,  we  saw  the 
towers  of  the  temple  of  Isis,  on  Philae,  through  a  savage  gorge 
of  the  river.  The  enormous  masses  of  dark  granite  were  piled 
on  either  side  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet,  taking  in 
some  places  the  forms  of  monoliths  and  sitting  colossi,  one  of 
which  appeared  so  lightly  balanced  on  the  loose  summit  that  a 
strong  gale  might  topple  it  down  the  steep.  The  current  in 
the  narrow  channel  was  so  violent  that  we  could  make  no  head- 
way, but  a  Nubian  boy,  swimming  on  a  palm-log,  carried  a 
rope  to  the  shore,  and  we  were  at  length  towed  with  much  labor 
into  the  more  tranquil  basin  girdling  Philae.  The  four  lofty 
towers  of  the  two  pylons,  the  side  corridors  of  pillars  and  the 
exterior  walls  of  the  temple  seem  perfectly  preserved,  on  ap- 
proaching the  island,  the  green  turf  of  whose  banks  and  the 
grouping  of  its  palms  quite  conceal  the  ruins  of  a  miserable 
mud  village  which  surrounds  the  structures.  Philae  is  the 
jewel  of  the  Nile,  but  these  ruins  are  an  unsightly  blotch, 
which  takes  away  half  its  lustre.  The  setting  is  nevertheless 
perfect.  The  basin  of  black,  jagged  mountains,  folding  on  all 
sides,  yet  half-disclosing  the  avenues  to  Egypt  and  Nubia ; 
the  hem  of  emerald  turf  at  their  feet,  sprinkled  with  clusters 
of  palm, -and  here  and  there  the  pillar  or  wall  of  a  temple; 
the  ring  of  the  bright  river,  no  longer  turbid  as  in  Lower 


THE    TEMPLES    OF    PHIL^E.  157 

Egypt :  of  these  it  is  the  centre,  as  it  was  once  the  radiant 
focus  of  their  beauty. 

The  temple,  which  belongs  to  the  era  of  the  Ptolemies,  and 
is  little  more  than  two  thousand  years  old,  was  built  by  various 
monarchs,  and  is  very  irregular  in  its  plan.  Instead  of  pre- 
serving a  fixed  direction,  it  follows  the  curve  of  the  island,  and 
its  various  corridors  and  pylons  have  been  added  to  each  other 
with  so  little  regard  to  proportion,  that  the  building  is  much 
more  agreeable  when  viewed  as  a  collection  of  detached  parts, 
than  as  a  whole.  From  its  locality,  it  has  suffered  compara- 
tively little  from  the  ravages  of  man,  and  might  be  restored  to 
almost  its  original  condition.  The  mud  which  Coptic  Chris- 
tians plastered  over  the  walls  of  its  sanctuaries  has  concealed, 
but  not  defaced,  their  richly-colored  sculptures,  and  the  palm- 
leaf  and  lotus  capitals  of  its  portico  retain  the  first  brilliancy 
of  their  green  and  blue  tints.  The  double  corridor  of  thirty- 
six  columns,  in  front  of  the  temple,  reaching  to  the  southern 
end  of  the  island,  has  never  been  finished,  some  of  the  capitals 
last  erected  being  unsculptured,  and  others  exhibiting  various 
stages  of  completion.  In  Egypt  one  so  accustoms  himself  to 
looking  back  four  thousand  years,  that  Phila3  seems  but  of  yes- 
terday. The  Gothic  Cathedrals  of  the  Middle  Ages  are  like 
antediluvian  remains,  compared  with  its  apparent  newness  and 
freshness. 

We  examined  the  interior  chambers  with  the  aid  of  a  torch, 
and  I  also  explored  several  secret  passages,  inclosed  in  the 
thickness  of  the  walls.  The  sculptures  are  raised  on  the  face 
of  the  stone,  and  painted  in  light  and  brilliant  colors.  They 
represent  Isis  and  Osiris,  with  their  offspring,  the  god  Horus, 
which  three  constituted  the  Trinity  worshipped  in  PhilaB.     In 


158  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

one  place  Isis  is  seen  giving  suck  to  the  infant  god — a  group 
which  bore  a  singular  resemblance  to  some  painting  I  have 
seen  of  the  Virgin  and  Child.  The  gods  are  here  painted  of 
fair,  Greek  complexion,  and  not,  as  in  the  oldest  tombs  and 
temples,  of  a  light  red.  Their  profiles  are  symmetrical  and 
even  beautiful,  and  the  emblems  by  which  they  are  surround- 
ed, are  drawn  and  colored  in  admirable  taste.  Those  friends 
of  the  African  Race,  who  point  to  Egypt  as  a  proof  of  what 
that  race  has  accomplished,  are  wholly  mistaken.  The  only 
negro  features  represented  in  Egyptian  sculpture  are  those  of 
slaves  and  captives  taken  in  the  Ethiopian  wars  of  the  Pha- 
raohs. The  temples  and  pyramids  throughout  Nubia,  as  far 
as  the  frontiers  of  Dar-Fur  and  Abyssinia,  all  bear  the  hiero- 
glyphs of  these  monarchs,  and  there  is  no  evidence  in  all  the 
valley  of  the  Nile  that  the  Negro  Race  ever  attained  a  higher 
degree  of  civilization  than  is  at  present  exhibited  in  Congo  and 
Ashantee. 

East  of  the  great  temple  is  a  square,  open  building,  whose 
four  sides  are  rows  of  columns,  supporting  an  architrave,  and 
united,  at  about  half  their  height,  by  screens  of  stone.  The 
capitals  are  all  of  different  design,  yet  exhibit  the  same  ex- 
quisite harmony  which  charmed  us  in  Hermontis  and  Esneh. 
The  screens  and  pillars  were  evidently  intended  to  have  been 
covered  with  sculpture,  and  a  roof  of  sandstone  blocks  was  to 
have  been  added,  which  would  have  made  the  structure  as  per- 
fect as  it  is  unique.  The  square  block,  or  abacus,  interposed 
between  the  capital  and  architrave,  is  even  higher  than  in  the 
pillars  of  Hermontis,  and  I  was  equally  puzzled  whether  to 
call  it  a  grace  or  a  defect.  There  was  one  thing,  however, 
which  certainly  did  give  a  grace  to  the  building,  and  that  was 


"backsheesh!"  159 

our  breakfastj  which  we  ate  on  a  block  large  enough  to  have 
made  an  altar  for  the  Theban  Jupiter,  surrounded  by  a  crowd 
of  silent  Arabs.  They  contemplated  the  ruins  of  our  cold 
fowls  with  no  less  interest  than  did  we  those  of  the  temples  of 
Phil«. 

Before  returning,  we  crossed  to  the  island  of  Biggeh, 
where  two  pillars  of  a  temple  to  Athor  stand  sentry  before  the 
door  of  a  mud  hut,  and  a  red  granite  colossus  is  lucky  in 
having  no  head,  since  it  is  spared  the  sight  of  such  desecra- 
tion. The  children  of  Biggeh  fairly  drove  us  away  with  the 
cries  of  "  backsheesh  /  "  The  hideous  word  had  been  rung  in 
our  ears  since  leaving  Assouan,  and  when  we  were  again  salut- 
ed with  it,  on  landing  at  the  head  of  the  Cataract,  patience 
ceased  to  be  a  virtue.  My  friend  took  his  cane  and  I  the 
stick  of  my  donkey-driver,  and  since  the  naked  pests  dared 
not  approach  near  enough  to  get  the  backsheesh,  they  finally 
ceased  to  demand  it.  The  word  is  in  every  Nubian  mouth, 
and  the  very  boatmen  and  camel-drivers  as  they  passed  us  said 
"  backsheesh"  instead  of  "good  morning."  As  it  was  impos- 
sible to  avoid  hearing  it,  I  used  the  word  in  the  same  way, 
and  cordially  returned  the  greeting.  A  few  days  previous,  as 
we  were  walking  on  shore  near  Esneh,  a  company  of  laborers' 
in  a  dourra-field  began  the  cry.  I  responded,  holding  out  my 
hand,  whereupon  one  of  the  men  pulled  off  his  white  cotton 
cap  (his  only  garment),  and  offered  it  to  me,  saying  :  "  If  you 
are  poor,  take  it." 

We  walked  down  to  the  edge  of  the  Cataract-  and  climbed 
a  rock,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  principal  rapid. 
There  is  nothing  like  a  fall,  and  the  passage  up  and  down  is 
attended  with  little  peril.     The  bed  of  the  Nile  is  filled  with 


1G0  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

granite  masses,  around  which  the  swift  current  roars  and 
foams,  and  I  can  imagine  that  the  descent  must  be  very  ex- 
citing, though  perhaps  less  so  than  that  of  the  Rapids  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  Boats  are  towed  up,  under  the  superintendence 
of  one  of  the  rais,  or  captains  of  the  Cataract.  There  are  four 
of  these  officers,  with  a  body  of  about  two  hundred  men.  The 
fee  varies  from  two  to  four  hundred  piastres,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  boat.  One  third  of  the  money  is  divided  among 
the  captains,  and  the  remainder  falls  to  the  portion  of  the  men. 
This  also  includes  the  descent,  and  travellers  going  to  the 
Second  Cataract  and  back,  pay  half  the  fee  on  returning. 

On  the  following  morning  we  visited  the  ancient  granite 
quarries  of  Assouan.  They  lie  in  the  hills,  south  of  the  town, 
and  more  than  a  mile  from  the  river.  I  never  saw  a  more 
magnificent  bed  of  rock.  Its  color  is  a  light  red,  flecked  with 
green,  and  its  grain  is  very  fine  and  nearly  as  solid  as  por- 
phyry. An  obelisk,  one  hundred  feet  long  and  twelve  feet 
square  at  the  base,  still  lies  in  the  quarry,  having  been  aban- 
doned on  account  of  a  slight  fissure  near  its  summit.  Grooves 
were  afterward  cut,  for  the  purpose  of  separating  it  into  blocks, 
but  for  some  reason  or  other  the  design  was  not  carried  out. 
In  many  parts  of  the  quarry  the  method  employed  by  the 
Egyptians  to  detach  the  enormous  masses,  is  plainly  to  be 
seen.  A  shallow  groove  was  first  sunk  along  the  line  of  frac- 
ture, after  which  mortices  about  three  inches  wide  and  four 
deep,  were  cut  at  short  intervals,  for  the  purpose  of  receiving 
wooden  wedges.  These  having  been  driven  firmly  into  their 
sockets,  were  saturated  with  water,  and  by  their  expansion 
forced  the  solid  grain  asunder. 

We  rode  back  to  the  Cleopatra  with  heavy  hearts.     Every 


THE  TRAVELLERS  SEPARATE.  161 

thing  had  been  prepared  for  our  departure,  my  friend  for  Cairo 
and  Germany,  and  I  for  the  Nubian  Desert  and  White  Nile. 
The  Governor  of  Assouan  had  despatched  a  letter  to  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Korosko,  asking  him  to  have  camels  ready  for  the 
Desert,  on  my  arrival,  my  own  letters  to  my  friends  were  fin- 
ished, my  equipage  had  been  transferred  to  the  shore,  and 
camels  had  arrived  to  transport  it  around  the  Cataract  to  the 
Nubian  village,  where  my  boat  was  in  readiness.  Our  hand- 
some sailor,  Ali,  begged  so  hard  to  be  allowed  to  accompany 
me,  that  I  finally  agreed  to  take  him  as  a  servant,  and  he  was 
already  on  duty.  Achmet  was  nearly  as  cheerful  as  he,  not- 
withstanding he  had  just  written  to  his  family  to  say  that  he 
was  going  to  Soudan,  and  had  given  up,  as  he  afterwards  in- 
formed me,  all  hopes  of  ever  seeing  Egypt  again.  The  Amer- 
ican flag  was  run  down,  and  the  Saxe-Coburg  colors — green 
and  white — hoisted  in  its  stead.  We  had  a  parting  visit  from 
the  Governor,  who  gave  me  another  letter  to  Korosko,  and  we 
then  sat  down  to  a  breakfast  for  which  we  had  no  appetite. 
The  camels  were  loaded  and  sent  off  in  adyance,  under  Ali's 
charge,  but  I  waited  until  every  man  was  on  board  the  good 
old  vessel  and  ready  to  push  off  for  Cairo.  The  large  main- 
sail was  unshipped  and  laid  over  the  cabin,  and  the  stern-sail, 
only  to  be  used  when  the  south-wind  blows,  hoisted  in  its 
place.  The  tow-rope  was  wound  up  and  stowed  away,  and  the 
large  oars  hung  in  the  rowlocks.  Finally,  every  sailor  was  at 
his  post ;  the  moment  came,  and  we  parted,  as  two  men  seldom 
part,  who  were  strangers  six  weeks  before.  I  goaded  my  don- 
key desperately  over  the  sands,  hastened  the  loading  of  my 
effects,  and  was  speedily  afloat  and  alone  on  the  Nubian  Nile. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE       NUBIAN       NILE. 

Solitary  Travel — Scenery  of  the  Nubian  Nile — Agriculture — The  Inhabitants — Arrival 
at  Korosko — The  Governor— The  Tent  Pitched— Shekh  Abou-Mohammed— Bar- 
gaining for  Camels — A  Drove  of  Giraffes — Visits — Preparations  for  the  Desert — My 
Last  Evening  on  the  Nile. 


We  passed  to  the  west  of  the  island  of  Biggeh,  where  the  cur- 
rent is  less  rapid,  and  a  gentle  north  wind  soon  carried  us 
away  from  Philae.  Dark  mountains  of  porphyry  rock  inclosed 
the  river,  and  the  solitude  of  the  shores,  broken  only  by  the 
creaking  of  an  occasional  sakia,  or  irrigating  wheel,  made  me 
feel  keenly  the  loneliness  of  my  situation.  Achmet,  who  now 
became  cook  as  well  as  dragoman,  served  me  up  three  fowl?, 


NUBIAN    SCENERY.  163 

cooked  in  different  styles,  for  dinner — partly  as  an  earnest  of 
his  skill,  and  partly  to  dispel  my  want  of  spirits.  But  the  fra- 
grant pipe  which  followed  dinner  was  the  true  promoter  of  pa- 
tience, and  "  Patience,"  says  the  Arab  poet,  "  is  the  key  of 
Content."  My  boat  was  a  small,  slow  craft,  and  Rais  Heree- 
dee,  the  captain,  the  most  indolent  of  Nubians.  His  weak, 
feminine  face  showed  a  lack  of  character,  which  Achmet  soon 
turned  to  advantage,  by  taking  the  command  into  his  own 
hands.  The  wind  was  barely  strong  enough  to  obviate  the 
necessity  of  towing,  and  my  three  sailors  sat  on  the  bow  all 
day,  singing:  "  andtrbuddee  !  anderbuddee  !  "  as  we  lazily 
ascended  the  river. 

Those  who  do  not  go  beyond  Thebes  are  only  half  acquaint- 
ed with  the  Nile.  Above  Esneh,  it  is  no  longer  a  broad,  lazy 
current,  watering  endless  fields  of  wheat  and  groves  of  palm, 
bounded  in  the  distance  by  level  lines  of  yellow  mountain-walls. 
It  is  narrower,  clearer  and  more  rapid,  and  its  valley,  after 
the  first  scanty  field  of  wheat  or  dourra,  strikes  the  foot  of 
broken  and  rocky  ranges,  through  the  gaps  in  which  the  winds 
of  the  Desert  have  spilled  its  sands.  There  is  not  the  same 
pale,  beautiful  monotony  of  color,  but  the  landscapes  are  full 
of  striking  contrasts,  and  strongly  accented  lights  and  shadows. 
Here,  in  Nubia,  these  characteristics  are  increased,  and  the 
Nile  becomes  a  river  of  the  North  under  a  Southern  sun.  The 
mountains  rise  on  either  hand  from  the  water's  edge ;  piles  of 
dark  sandstone  or  porphyry  rock,  sometimes  a  thousand  feet  in 
height,  where  a  blade  of  grass  never  grew,  every  notch  and  jag 
on  their  crests,  every  fissure  on  their  sides,  revealed  in  an 
atmosphere  so  pure  and  crystalline,  that  nothing  but  one  of  our 
cloudless  mid-winter  days  can  equal  it.      Their  hue  near  at 


1G4  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

hand  is  a  glowing  "brown;  in  the  distance  an  intense  violet. 
On  the  western  bank  they  are  lower ;  and  the  sand  of  that  vast 
Desert,  which  stretches  unbroken  to  the  Atlantic,  has  heaped 
itself  over  their  shoulders  and  poured  long  drifts  and  rills  even 
to  the  water.  In  color  it  is  a  tawny  gold,  almost  approach- 
ing a  salmon  tint,  and  its  glow  at  sunrise  equals  that  of  the 
snow-fields  of  the  Alps. 

The  arable  land  is  a  mere  hem,  a  few  yards  in  breadth  on 
either  side  of  the  river.  It  supports  a  few  scattering  date- 
palms,  which  are  the  principal  dependence  of  the  Nubians. 
They  are  taxed  at  the  rate  of  a  piastre  and  a  half  each,  annu- 
ally, the  trees  being  counted  every  five  years  by  a  Government 
officer  appointed  for  that  purpose.  If  half  of  them  should  die 
in  the  mean  time,  the  tax  remains  the  same  until  the  next 
count.  The  trees  are  seven  years  in  coming  to  maturity,  after 
which  they  produce  dates  for  seven  years,  and  then  gradually 
decay.  They  are  male  and  female,  and  are  generally  planted 
so  that  the  pollen  may  be  blown  from  the  male  to  the  female 
flowers.  In  some  parts  of  Egypt  this  impregnation  is  artifi- 
cially produced.  The  banks  are  planted  with  wheat,  beans  and 
'a  species  of  lupin,  from  which  bread  is  made,  and  wherever  a 
little  shelf  of  soil  is  found  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  the 
creaking  sakias  turn  day  and  night  to  give  life  to  patches  of  dour* 
ra  and  cotton.  In  a  rough  shed,  protected  from  the  sun  by  palm- 
mats,  a  cow  or  buffalo  walks  a  weary  round,  raising  the  water, 
which  is  conveyed  in  small  channels,  built  of  clay,  to  all  the 
numerous  beds  into  which  the  field  is  divided.  These  are  fill- 
ed, in  regular  succession  to  the  depth  of  two  inches,  and  then 
left  to  stand  until  dried  by  the  sun.  The  process  is  continued 
until  the  grain  is  nearly  ripe.     The  sakias  pay  a  tax  of  three 


ARRIVAL    AT    KOROSKO.  165 

hundred  piastres  a  year,  levied  in  lieu  of  a  ground  tax,  which  the 
Egyptians  pay.  With  all  their  labor,  the  inhabitants  scarcely 
produce  enough  to  support  themselves,  and  the  children  are 
sent  to  Cairo  at  an  early  age,  where  they  become  house-ser- 
vants, and  like  the  Swiss  and  Savoyards,  send  home  a  portion 
of  their  earnings.  This  part  of  Nubia  is  inhabited  by  the 
Kenoos  tribe,  who  speak  a  language  of  their  own.  They  and 
their  language  are  designated  by  the  general  name  of  Barahra 
(nearly  equivalent  to  "  barbarians")  by  the  Arabs.  They  are 
more  stupid  than  the  Egyptian  Fellahs,  but  their  character  for 
truth  and  honesty  is  superior.  In  my  walks  on  shore,  I  found 
them  very  friendly,  and  much  less  impudent  than  the  Nubians 
about  Assouan. 

The  northern  part  of  Nubia  is  rich  in  Egyptian  remains, 
but  I  hastened  on  without  visiting  them,  passing  the  temples 
of  Dabod,  Kalabshee,  Dakkeh,  Dendoor  and  Sebooa,  which 
looked  at  me  invitingly  from  the  western  bank.  Near  Dendoor 
I  crossed  the  Tropic  of  Cancer,  and  on  the  fourth  afternoon 
after  leaving  Assouan,  Rais  Hereedee  pointed  out  in  the  dis- 
tance the  mountain  of  Korosko,  the  goal  of  the  voyage.  I  was 
charmed  with  the  near  prospect  of  desert  life,  but  I  fancied 
Achmet  was  rather  grave,  since  all  beyond  was  an  unknown 
region  to  him.  The  sharp  peak  of  the  mountain  gradually 
drew  nearer,  and  at  dusk  my  boat  was  moored  to  a  palm-tree, 
in  front  of  the  village  of  Korosko. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour,  I  received  a  visit  from  the  Gov- 
ernor, Moussa  Effendi,  who  brought  me  good  news.  A  caravan 
had  just  arrived  from  Sennaar,  and  camels  were  in  readiness 
for  the  journey  to  Berber,  in  Ethiopia.  This  was  very  lucky, 
for  merchants  are  frequently  detained  at  Korosko  twenty  or 


166  JOURNEY  10  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

thirty  days,  and  I  had  anticipated  a  delay  of  at  least  a  week. 
I  also  learned  that  Dr.  Knoblecher,  the  Apostolic  Vicar  of  the 
Catholic  Missions  in  Central  Africa,  had  left  for  Khartoum 
about  twenty  days  previous.  The  Governor  was  profuse  in  his 
offers  of  assistance,  stating  that  as  Shekh  Abou-Mohammed,  a 
chief  of  the  Ababdeh  tribe,  through  whose  territories  my  road 
lay,  was  then  in  Korosko,  he  would  be  enabled  to  make  every 
arrangement  for  my  safety  and  convenience. 

Early  the  next  morning  my  equipage  was  caken  ashore, 
and  my  tent  pitched  for  the  first  time,  under  a  clump  of  palm- 
trees,  overlooking  the  Nile.  Leaving  Ali  to  act  as  guard,  I 
took  Achmet  and  walked  up  to  the  village  of  Korosko,  which 
is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  at  the  foot  of  the 
lofty  Djebel  Korosko.  The  Governor's  mansion  was  a  mud 
hut,  differing  from  the  other  huts  in  size  only.  His  Excellen 
cy  received  me,  cordially,  and  immediately  sent  for  Shekh 
Abou-Mohammed,  with  whom  the  contract  for  camels  must  be 
made.  The  Shekh  was  a  tall,  imposing  personage,  with  a 
dark-brown  complexion,  but  perfectly  straight  and  regular  fea- 
tures. He  was  accompanied  by  a  superb  attendant — an  Abab- 
deh, six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  with  sharp,  symmetrical 
features,  and  a  fine,  fierce  eye.  His  hair  was  raised  perpendicu- 
larly from  his  forehead,  but  on  each  side  hung  down  in  a  great 
number  of  little  twists,  smeared  with  mutton-fat  and  castor-oil. 
His  long  cotton  mantle  was  wrapped  around  him  like  a  Greek 
chlamys,  and  his  bearing  was  as  manly  and  majestic  as  that  of 
an  Ajax  or  a  Diomed.  There  was  some  controversy  about  the 
number  of  camels ;  Achmet  and  I  had  decided  that  we  should 
not  require  more  than  five,  and  the  Shekh  insisted  that  we 
should  take  more,  but  finally  agreed  to  furnish  us  with  six,  in- 


BARGAINING    FOR    CAMELS.  107 

eluding  one  for  the  guide,  at  the  price  paid  by  officers  of  the 
Government — ninety  piastres  (four  dollars  and  fifty  cents)  each, 
to  El  Mekheyref,  the  capital  of  Dar  Berber,  a  journey  of  four- 
teen days.  This  included  the  services  of  camel-drivers,  and 
all  other  expenses,  except  the  hire  of  the  guide,  whose  fee  was 
that  of  a  camel — ninety  piastres.  Merchants  who  travel  this 
route,  pay  according  to  the  weight  of  their  loads,  and  frequent- 
ly from  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
piastres. 

Soon  after  returning  to  my  tent,  I  was  again  visited  by  the 
Governor,  who  found  my  choice  Latakieh  very  acceptable  to  his 
taste.  I  therefore  presented  him  with  two  or  three  pounds  of 
it,  and  some  gunpowder,  which  he  received  in  a  way  that  made 
me  sure  of  his  good  offices.  Shekh  Abou-Mohammed  also 
came' down,  inspected  my  baggage,  and  was  satisfied  that  the 
camels  would  not  be  overloaded.  He  declared,  however,  that  the 
four  geerbehs,  or  water-skin  s,  which  I  had  brought  from  Cairo, 
would  not  be  sufficient,  and  as  none  were  to  be  purchased  in 
Korosko,  loaned  me  four  more  for  the  journey,  on  my  agreeing 
to  pay  him  half  their  value.  I  also  paid  him  for  the  camels,  he 
giving  a  formal  receipt  therefor,  which  was  intrusted  to  the 
guide,  to  be  delivered  to  the  Governor  of  Berber,  on  our  arri- 
val there.  Three  short,  black  Arabs  of  the  Bisharee  tribe,  with 
immense  bushy  heads  of  twisted  and  greased  hair,  were  pre- 
sented to  me  as  the  camel-drivers.  After  receiving  their  share 
of  the  money  (for  the  camels  belonged  to  them),  they  squatted 
down  together  and  occupied  an  hour  or  two  in  counting  and 
dividing  it.  One  of  them  then  took  a  long  palm-rope,  and 
went  into  the  desert  to  catch  the  animals,  while  the  others  re- 
mained to  assist  in  arranging  the  baggage  into  separate  loads. 


168  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

The  caravan  from  Sennaar  brought  twelve  giraffes,  which 
had  been  captured  in  the  forests  of  the  Blue  Nile,  as  a  present 
from  Lattif  Pasha,  Governor  of  Soudan,  to  Abbas  Pasha. 
They  were  in  good  condition,  notwithstanding  the  toilsome 
march  across  the  Nubian  Desert.  The  officer  who  had  them 
in  charge  informed  me  that  they  made  frequent  efforts  to 
escape,  and  one  of  them,  which  broke  from  its  keeper's  hold, 
was  only  recaptured  after  a  chase  of  several  hours.  Four 
large  trading-boats  were  in  readiness,  to  convey  them  to  As- 
souan, and  the  graceful  creatures  stood  on  the  bank,  with  their 
heads  almost  touching  the  crowns  of  the  date-trees,  looking 
with  wonder  on  the  busy  scene  below.  For  a  long  time  they 
refused  to  enter  the  unsteady  barges,  but  at  last,  trembling 
with  fear,  they  were  forced  on  board  and  floated  away,  their 
slim  necks  towering  like  masts  in  the  distance. 

There  was  a  small  tent  on  the  bank,  pitched  not  far  from 
mine.  Its  occupant,  a  one-eyed,  olive-faced  young  man,  in 
Egyptian  costume,  came  to  pay  me  a  visit,  and  I  found  that 
he  was  a  son  of  M.  Linant,  by  a  former  Abyssinian  wife.  He 
was  then  making  his  second  trip  to  Soudan,  as  a  merchant,  on 
a  capital  of  twenty-five  thousand  piastres,  which  his  father  had 
given  him.  Although  he  only  required  twelve  camels,  he  had 
been  eight  days  in  Korosko  waiting  for  them,  and  was  still 
waiting  when  I  left.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  young  French- 
man, who  was  one  of  the  grandest  liars  I  ever  met.  He  told 
me  with  a  grave  face,  that  he  had  travelled  from  Algiers  to 
Egypt  through  the  Great  Sahara,  and  had  on  one  occasion 
gone  eight  days  without  water,  and  the  thermometer  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  degrees  in  the  shade  !  The  son  of  the 
former  Mek  (king)  of  Shendy — the  same  fierce  old  savage  who 


ORIENTAL    COSTUME.  169 

burned  to  death  Ismail  Pasha  and  his  soldiers — was  also  in 
Korosko,  and  visited  me  during  the  day.  Pie  held  some  office 
under  Government,  which  made  him  responsible  for  the  secu- 
rity of  travellers  and  merchandise  in  the  Desert,  and  his  pres 
ence  probably  facilitated  my  arrangements.  He  was  a  strik- 
ingly handsome  man,  and  wore  a  superb  Cashmere  shawl 
twisted  around  his  head  as  a  turban. 

The  water-skins  were  soaked  in  the  Nile  all  day,  to  pre- 
pare them  for  use.  Achmet,  backed  by  the  Governor's  au- 
thority, ransacked  the  village  for  further  supplies  of  provisions, 
but  the  place  was  miserably  poor,  and  he  only  succeeded  in 
procuring  two  pounds  of  butter,  a  few  fowls,  and  some  bread. 
There  were  pigeons  in  abundance,  however,  and  he  cooked  a 
sufficient  number  to  last  us  two  or  three  days.  The  fowls 
were  placed  in  a  light  cafass,  or  coop,  to  be  carried  on  the  top 
of  the  baggage.  Ali,  proud  of  his  new  station,  worked  faith- 
fully, and  before  night  all  our  preparations  were  completed, 
I  then  sent  for  a  barber,  had  my  hair  shorn  close  to  the  skin, 
and  assumed  the  complete  Egyptian  costume.  I  was  already 
accustomed  to  the  turban  and  shawl  around  the  waist,  and  the 
addition  of  a  light  silk  sidree,  or  shirt,  and  trowsers  which 
contained  eighteen  yards  of  muslin,  completed  the  dress,  which 
in  its  grace,  convenience,  and  adaptation  to  the  climate  and 
habits  of  the  East,  is  immeasurably  superior  to  the  Frank  cos- 
tume. It  allows  complete  freedom  of  the  limbs,  while  the 
most  sensitive  parts  of  the  body  are  thoroughly  protected  from 
changes  of  temperature.  The  legs,  especially,  are  even  less 
fettered  by  the  wide  Turkish  trowsers  than  by  a  Highland  kilt, 
and  they  fold  themselves  under  you  naturally  and  comfortably, 
in  the  characteristic  attitude  of  the  Orientals.  The  turban, 
8 


170  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

which  appears  so  hot  and  cumbrous,  is  in  reality  cool,  and  im- 
pervious to  the  fiercest  sun  that  ever  blazed. 

After  dinner,  I  seated  myself  at  the  tent  door,  wrapped  in 
my  capote,  and  gave  myself  up  to  the  pipe  of  meditation.  It 
was  a  splendid  starlit  evening.  Not  a  blade  of  the  palm- 
leaves  was  stirring,  and  the  only  sounds  I  heard  were  the  mel- 
ancholy drone  of  salcias  along  the  river,  and  the  cry  of  the 
jackal  among  the  hills.  The  Nile  had  already  become  my 
home,  endeared  to  me  not  more  by  the  grand  associations  of 
its  eldest  human  history  than  by  the  rest  and  the  patience 
which  I  had  breathed  in  its  calm  atmosphere.  Now  I  was  to 
leave  it  for  the  untried  Desert,  and  the  strange  regions  beyond, 
where  I  should  find  its  aspect  changed.  Would  it  still  give 
me  the  same  health  of  body,  the  same  peace  and  contentment 
of  soul  ?  u  Achmet,"  said  I  to  the  Theban,  who  was  sitting 
not  far  off,  silently  smoking,  "  we  are  going  into  strange  coun- 
tries— have  you  no  fear  ?  "  "  You  remember,  master,"  he  an- 
swered, "  that  we  left  Cairo  on  a  lucky  day,  and  why  should  I 
fear,  since  all  things  are  in  the  hands  of  Allah  ?  " 


Eyoub,  the  Ababdah  Guide. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

THE   GREAT   NUBIAN   DESERT. 

The  Curve  of  the  Nile— Routes  across  the  Desert— Our  Caravan  starts— Riding  on  s 
Dromedary — The  Guide  and  Camel-drivers — Hair-dressing— El  Biban— Scenery — 
Dead  Camels — An  Unexpected  Visit — The  Guide  make-  my  Grave — The  River 
without  Water — Characteristics  of  the  Mirage — Desert  Life — The  Sun — The  Desert 
Air — Infernal  Scenery — The  Wells  of  Murr-hat — Christmas — Mountain  Chains  — 
Meeting  Caravans— Plains  of  Gravel— The  Story  of  Joseph— Djebel  Mokrat— The 
Last  Day  in  the  Desert — We  see  the  Nile  again. 

"  He  sees  the  snake-like  caravan  crawl 
O'er  the  edge  of  the  Desert,  black  and  small, 
And  nearer  and  nearer,  till,  one  by  one, 
He  can  count  its  camels  in  the  sun." — Lowell. 


A  glance  at  the  map  will  explain  the  necessity  of  my  Desert 
journey.  The  Nile,  at  Korosko  (which  is  in  lat.  22°  38'), 
makes  a  sharp  bend  to  the  west,  and  in  ascending  his  current, 


172  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

one  travels  in  a  south-westerly  direction  nearly  to  Dongola, 
thence  south  to  Edabbe,  in  lat.  18°,  after  which  his  course  is 
north-east  as  far  as  lat.  19°  30',  where  he  again  resumes  the 
general  southern  direction.  The  termini  of  this  immense 
curve,  called  by  the  ancients  the  "  elbows"  of  the  Nile,  are 
Korosko  and  Abou-Hammed,  in  southern  Nubia.  About 
ninety  miles  above  the  former  place,  at  Wadi  Haifa,  is  the 
second  cataract  of  the  Nile,  the  Southern  Thule  of  Egyptian 
tourists.  The  river,  between  that  point  and  Dongola,  is  so 
broken  by  rapids,  that  vessels  can  only  pass  during  the  inun- 
dation, and  then  with  great  difficulty  and  danger.  The  exi- 
gencies of  trade  have  established,  no  doubt  since  the  earliest 
times,  the  shorter  route  through  the  Desert.  The  distance  be- 
tween Korosko  and  Abou-Hammed,  by  the  river,  is  more  than 
six  hundred  miles,  while  by  the  Desert,  it  is,  according  to 
my  reckoning,  only  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  miles.  The 
former  caravan  route  led  directly  from  Assouan  to  Berber  and 
Shendy,  and  lay  some  distance  to  the  eastward  of  that  from 
Korosko.  It  is  the  same  travelled  by  Bruce  and  Burckhardt, 
but  is  now  almost  entirely  abandoned,  since  the  countries  of 
Soudan  have  been  made  tributary  to  Egypt.  It  lies  through 
a  chain  of  valleys,  inhabited  by  the  Ababdeh  Arabs,  and  ac- 
cording to  Burckhardt,  there  are  trees  and  water,  at  short  in- 
tervals, for  the  greater  part  of  the  way.  The  same  traveller 
thus  describes  the  route  from  Korosko  :  "  On  that  road  the 
traveller  finds  only  a  single  well,  which  is  situated  midway, 
four  long  days  distant  from  Berber  and  as  many  from  Sebooa 
[near  Korosko].  A  great  inconvenience  on  that  road  is  that 
neither  trees  nor  shrubs  are  anywhere  found,  whence  the 
camels  are  much  distressed  for  food,  and  passengers  are  oblig- 
ed to  carry  wood  with  them  to  dress  their  meals." 


THE    CARAVAN    STARTS.  173 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  December,  the  water-skin  s 
were  filled  from  the  Nile,  the  baggage  carefully  divided  into 
Beparatc  loads,  the  unwilling  camels  received  their  burdens, 
and  I  mounted  a  dromedary  for  the  first  time.  My  little  cara- 
van consisted  of  six  camels,  including  that  of  the  guide.  As 
it  was  put  in  motion,  the  Governor  and  Shekh  Abou-Moham- 
med  wished  me  a  safe  journey  and  the  protection  of  Allah. 
We  passed  the  miserable  hamlet  of  Korosko,  turned  a  corner 
of  the  mountain-chain  into  a  narrow  stony  valley,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  lost  sight  of  the  Nile  and  his  belt  of  palms.  Thence- 
forth, for  many  days,  the  only  green  thing  to  be  seen  in  all  the 
wilderness  was  myself.  After  two  or  three  hours'  travel,  we 
passed  an  encampment  of  Arabs,  where  my  Bisharees  added 
another  camel  for  their  own  supplies,  and  two  Nubians,  mount- 
ed on  donkeys,  joined  us  for  the  march  to  Berber.  The  first 
day's  journey  lay  among  rugged  hills,  thrown  together  confus- 
edly, with  no  apparent  system  or  direction.  They  were  of  jet 
black  sandstone,  and  resembled  immense  piles  of  coke  and  an- 
thracite. The  small  glens  and  basins  inclosed  in  this  chaos 
were  filled  with  glowing  yellow  sand,  which  in  many  places 
streamed  down  the  crevices  of  the  black  rocks,  like  rivulets  of 
fire.  The  path  was  strewn  with  hollow  globes  of  hard,  black 
stones,  precisely  resembling  cannon-balls.  The  guide  gave 
me  one  of  the  size  of  a  rifle-bullet,  with  a  seam  around  the 
centre,  as  if  cast  in  a  mould.  The  thermometer  showed  a 
temperature  of  eighty  degrees  at  two  p.  m.,  but  the  heat  was 
tempered  by  a  pure,  fresh  breeze.  After  eight  hours'  travel,  I 
made  my  first  camp  at  sunset,  in  a  little  hollow  inclosed  by 
mountains,  where  a  gray  jackal,  after  being  twice  shot  at,  came 
and  looked  into  the  door  of  the  tent. 


1*7  4  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

I  found  dromedary-riding  not  at  all  difficult.  One  sits  on 
a  very  lofty  seat,  with  his  feet  crossed  over  the  animal's  shoul- 
ders or  resting  on  his  neck.  The  body  is  obliged  to  rock  back- 
ward and  forward,  on  account  of  the  long,  swinging  gait,  and 
as  there  is  no  stay  or  fulcrum  except  a  blunt  pommel,  around 
which  the  legs  are  crossed,  some  little  power  of  equilibrium  is 
necessary.  My  dromedary  was  a  strong,  stately  beast,  of  a 
light  cream  color,  and  so  even  a  gait,  that  it  would  bear  the 
Arab  test :  that  is,  one  might  drink  a  cup  of  coffee,  while  go- 
ing on  a  full  trot,  without  spilling  a  drop.  I  found  a  great 
advantage  in  the  use  of  the  Oriental  costume.  My  trowsers 
allowed  the  legs  perfect  freedom  of  motion,  and  I  soon  learned 
so  many  different  modes  of  crossing  those  members,  that  no 
day  was  sufficient  to  exhaust  them.  The  rising  and  kneeling 
of  the  animal  is  hazardous  at  first,  as  his  long  legs  double  to- 
gether like  a  carpenter's  rule,  and  you  are  thrown  backwards 
and  then  forwards,  and  then  backwards  again,  but  the  trick  of 
it  is  soon  learned.  The  soreness  and  fatigue  of  which  many 
travellers  complain,  I  never  felt,  and  I  attribute  much  of  it  to 
the  Frank  dress.  I  rode  from  eight  to  ten  hours  a  day,  read 
and  even  dreamed  in  the  saddle,  and  was  at  night  as  fresh  and 
unwearied  as  when  I  mounted  in  the  morning. 

My  caravan  was  accompanied  by  four  Arabs.  The  guide, 
Eyoub,  was  an  old  Ababdeh,  who  knew  all  the  Desert  between 
the  Red  Sea  and  the  Nile,  as  far  south  as  Abyssinia.  The 
camel-drivers  were  of  the  great  Bisharee  tribe,  which  extends 
from  Shendy,  in  Ethiopia,  through  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
Nubian  Desert,  to  the  frontiers  of  Egypt.  •  They  owned  the 
burden  camels,  which  they  urged  along  with  the  cry  of  "  Yo- 
ho  !    Shekh  Abd-el  Kader  ! "    and  a  shrill  barbaric  song,  the 


THE    CAMEL-DRIVERS    AND    THEIR    HAIR.  175 

refrain  of  which  was  :  "0  Prophet  of  God,  help  the  camels  and 
bring  us  safely  to  our  journey's  end  !  "  They  were  very  sus- 
ceptible to  cold,  and  a  temperature  of  50°,  which  we  frequent- 
ly had  in  the  morning,  made  them  tremble  like  aspen  leaves, 
and  they  were  sometimes  so  benumbed  that  they  could  scarcely 
load  the  camels.  They  were  proud  of  their  enormous  heads 
of  hair,  which  they  wore  parted  on  both  temples,  the  middle 
portion  being  drawn  into  an  upright  mass,  six  inches  in  height, 
while  the  side  divisions  hung  over  the  ears  in  a  multitude  of 
little  twists.  These  love-locks  they  anointed  every  morning 
with  suet,  and  looked  as  if  they  had  slept  in  a  hard  frost,  until 
the  heat  had  melted  the  fat.  I  thought  to  natter  one  of  them 
as  he  performed  the  operation,  by  exclaiming  "  Beautiful ! " — 
but  he  answered  coolly  :  "  You  speak  truth  :  it  is  very  beauti- 
ful." Through  the  central  mass  of  hair  a  wooden  skewer  was 
stuck,  in  order  to  scratch  the  head  without  disturbing  the 
arrangement.  They  wore  long  swords,  carried  in  a  leathern 
scabbard  over  the  left  shoulder,  and  sometimes  favored  us  with 
a  war-dance,  which  consisted  merely  in  springing  into  the  air 
with  a  brandished  sword  and  turning  around  once  before  com- 
ing down.  Their  names  were  El  Emeem,  Hossayn  and  Ali. 
We  called  the  latter  Shekh  Ali,  on  account  of  his  hair.  He 
wore  nothing  but  a  ragged  cotton  clout,  yet  owned  two  camels, 
had  a  tent  in  the  Desert,  and  gave  Achmet  a  bag  of  dollars  to 
carry  for  him.  I  gave  to  El  Emeem,  on  account  of  his  shrill 
voice,  the  nickname  of  Wiz  (wild  goose),  by  which  he  was 
thenceforth  called.  They  were  all  very  devout,  retiring  a  short 
distance  from  the  road  to  say  their  prayers,  at  the  usual  hours, 
and  performing  the  prescribed  ablutions  with  sand,  instead  of 
water. 


176  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

On  the  second  morning  we  passed  through  a  gorge  in  the 
black  hills,  and  entered  a  region  called  El  Biban,  or  "  The 
Gates."  Here  the  mountains,  though  still  grouped  in  the  same 
disorder,  were  more  open  and  gave  room  to  plains  of  sand  sev- 
eral miles  in  length.  The  narrow  openings,  through  which  the 
road  passes  from  one  plain  to  another,  gave  rise  to  the  name. 
The  mountains  are  higher  than  on  the  Nile,  and  present  the 
most  wonderful  configurations — towers,  fortresses,  walls,  pyra- 
mids, temples  in  ruin,  of  an  inky  blackness  near  at  hand,  but 
tinged  of  a  deep,  glowing  violet  hue  in  the  distance.  Towards 
noon  I  saw  a  mirage — a  lake  in  which  the  broken  peaks  were 
reflected  with  great  distinctness.  One  of  the  Nubians  who  was 
with  us,  pointed  out  a  spot  where  he  was  obliged  to  climb  the 
rocks,  the  previous  summer,  to  avoid  being  drowned.  During 
the  heavy  tropical  rains  which  sometimes  fall  here,  the  hun- 
dreds of  pyramidal  hills  pour  down  such  floods  that  the  sand 
cannot  immediately  drink  them  up,  and  the  valleys  are  turned 
into  lakes.  The  man  described  the  roaring  of  the  waters, 
down  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  as  something  terrible.  In  sum- 
mer the  passage  of  the  Desert  is  much  more  arduous  than  in 
winter,  and  many  men  and  camels  perish.  The  road  was 
strewn  with  bones  and  carcasses,  and  I  frequently  counted  twen- 
ty dead  camels  within  a  stone's  throw.  The  stone-heaps  which 
are  seen  on  all  the  spurs  of  the  hills,  as  landmarks  for  cara- 
vans, have  become  useless,  since  one  could  find  his  way  by  the 
bones  in  the  sand.  My  guide,  who  was  a  great  believer  in 
afrites  and  devils,  said  that  formerly  many  persons  lost  the 
way  and  perished  from  thirst,  all  of  which  was  the  work  of 
evil  spirits. 

My  next  camp  was  in  the  midst  of  a  high  circular  plain^ 


AN    UNEXPECTED    VISIT.  177 

surrounded  by  hundreds  of  black  peaks.  Here  I  had  an  unex- 
pected visit.  I  was  sitting  in  my  tent,  about  eight  o  clock, 
when  I  heard  the  tramp  of  dromedaries  outside,  and  a  strange 
voice  saying  :  ana  wahed  Ingleez  (I  am  an  Englishman).  It 
proved  to  be  Capt.  Peel,  of  the  British  Navy,  (son  of  the  late 
Sir  Robert  Peel),  who  was  returning  from  a  journey  to  Khar- 
toum and  Kordofan.  He  was  attended  by  a  single  guide,  and 
carried  only  a  water-skin  and  a  basket  of  bread.  He  had 
travelled  nearly  day  and  night  since  leaving  Berber,  and  would 
finish  the  journey  from  that  place  to  Korosko — a  distance  of 
four  hundred  miles — in  seven  days.  He  spent  an  hour  with 
me,  and  then  pushed  onward  through  "  The  Gates  "  towards 
the  Nile.  It  had  been  his  intention  to  penetrate  into  Dar- 
Fur,  a  country  yet  unvisited  by  any  European,  but  on  reach- 
ing Obeid,  the  Capital  of  Kordofan,  his  companion,  a  Syrian 
Arab,  fell  sick,  and  he  was  himself  attacked  with  the  ague. 
This  decided  him  to  return,  and  he  had  left  his  baggage  and 
servants  to  follow,  and  was  making  for  England  with  all  speed. 
He  was  provided  with  all  the  necessary  instruments  to  make 
his  travel  useful  in  a  scientific  point  of  view,  and  the  failure 
of  his  plans  is  much  to  be  regretted.  I  was  afterwards  inform- 
ed by  M.  Linant  that  he  met  Capt.  Peel  on  the  following  day, 
and  supplied  him  with  water  enough  to  reach  the  Nile. 

Towards  noon,  on  the  third  day,  we  passed  the  last  of  the 
"  Gates,"  and  entered  the  Bahr  hela  Ma  (Hiver  without 
Water),  a  broad  plain  of  burning  yellow  sand.  The  gateway 
is  very  imposing,  especially  on  the  eastern  side,  where  it  is 
broken  by  a  valley  or  gorge  of  Tartarean  blackness.  As  we 
passed  the  last  peak,  my  guide,  who  had  ridden  in  advance, 
dismounted  beside  what  seemed  to  be  a  collection  of  graves — 
8* 


178  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

little  ridges  of  sand,  with  rough  head  and  foot  stones.  He  sat 
by  one  which  he  had  just  made.  As  I  came  up  he  informed 
me  that  all  travellers  who  crossed  the  Nubian  Desert,  for  the 
first  time,  are  here  expected  to  pay  a  toll,  or  fee  to  the  guide 
and  camel-men.  "  But  what  if  I  do  not  choose  to  pay  ?  "  I 
asked.  "  Then  you  will  immediately  perish,  and  be  buried 
here.  The  graves  are  those  of  persons  who  refused  to  pay." 
As  I  had  no  wish  to  occupy  the  beautiful  mound  he  had  heap- 
ed for  me,  with  the  thigh-bones  of  a  camel  at  the  head  and 
foot,  I  gave  the  men  a  few  piastres,  and  passed  the  place.  He 
then  plucked  up  the  bones  and  threw  them  away,  and  restored 
the  sand  to  its  original  level.* 

The  Bohr  bela  Ma  spread  out  before  us,  glittering  in  the 
hot  sun.  About  a  mile  to  the  eastward  lay  (apparently)  a  lake 
of  blue  water.  Reeds  and  water-plants  grew  on  its  margin, 
and  its  smooth  surface  reflected  the  rugged  outline  of  the  hills 
beyond.  The  Waterless  River  is  about  two  miles  in  breadth, 
and  appears  to  have  been  at  one  time  the  bed  of  a  large  stream. 

*  Burckhardt  gives  the  following  account  of  the  same  custom,  in  his 
travels  in  Nubia:  "In  two  hours  and  a  half  we  came  to  a  plain  on  the 
top  of  the  mountain  called  AJcabet  el  Benat,  the  Rocks  of  the  Girls.  Here 
the  Arabs  who  serve  as  guides  through  these  mountains  have  devised  a 
singular  mode  of  extorting  presents  from  the  traveller;  they  alight  at 
certain  spots  in  the  Akabet  el  Benat,  and  beg  a  present;  if  it  is  refused, 
they  collect  a  heap  of  sand,  and  mould  it  into  the  form  of  a  diminutive 
tomb,  and  then  placing  a  stone  at  each  of  the  extremities,  they  ap- 
prise fhe  traveller  that  his  tomb  is  made;  meaning,  that  henceforward, 
there  will  be  no  security  for  him,  in  this  rocky  wilderness.  Most  per- 
sons pay  a  trifling  contribution,  rather  than  have  their  graves  made  be- 
fore their  eyes ;  there  were,  however,  several  tombs  of  this  description 
dispersed  over  the  plain." 


THE    RIVER    WITHOUT    WATER.  1*79 

It  crosses  all  the  caravan  routes  in  the  desert,  and  is  supposed 
to  extend  from  the  Nile  to  the  Red  Sea.  It  may  have  been 
the  outlet  for  the  river,  before  its  waters  forced  a  passage 
through  the  primitive  chains  which  cross  its  bed  at  Assouan 
and  Kalabshee.  A  geological  exploration  of  this  part  of  Afri- 
ca could  not  fail  to  produce  very  interesting  results.  Beyond 
the  Bahr  bela  Ma  extends  the  broad  central  plateau  of  the 
Desert,  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  It  is  a  vast  reach 
of  yellow  sand,  dotted  with  low,  isolated  hills,  which  in  some 
places  are  based  on  large  beds  of  light-gray  sandstone  of  an 
unusually  fine  and  even  grain.  Small  towers  of  stone  have 
been  erected  on  the  hills  nearest  the  road,  in  order  to  guide 
the  couriers  who  travel  by  night.  Near  one  of  them  the  guide 
pointed  out  the  grave  of  a  merchant,  who  had  been  murdered 
there  two  years  previous,  by  his  three  slaves.  The  latter  es- 
caped into  the  Desert,  but  probably  perished,  as  they  were 
never  heard  of  afterwards.  In  the  smooth,  loose  sand,  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  reviving  my  forgotten  knowledge  of  track- 
ography,  and  soon  learned  to  distinguish  the  feet  of  hyenas, 
foxes,  ostriches,  lame  camels  and  other  animals.  The  guide 
assured  me  that  there  were  devils  in  the  Desert,  but  one  only 
sees  them  when  he  travels  alone. 

On  this  plain  the  mirage,  which  first  appeared  in  the  Biban, 
presented  itself  under  a  variety  of  wonderful  aspects.  Thence- 
forth, I  saw  it  every  day,  for  hours  together,  and  tried  to  de- 
duce some  rules  from  the  character  of  its  phenomena.  It 
appears  on  all  sides,  except  that  directly  opposite  to  the  sun,  but 
rarely  before  nine  a.  m.  or  after  three  p.  m.  The  color  of  the 
apparent  water  is  always  precisely  that  of  the  sky,  and  this  is 
a  good  test  to  distinguish  it  from  real  water,  which  is  invari- 


180  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

ably  of  a  deeper  hue.  It  is  seen  on  a  gravelly  as  well  as  a 
sandy  surface,  and  often  nils  with  shining  pools  the  slight  de- 
pressions in  the  soil  at  the  bases  of  the  hills.  Where  it  extends 
to  the  horizon  there  is  no  apparent  line,  and  it  then  becomes 
an  inlet  of  the  sky,  as  if  the  walls  of  heaven  were  melting  down 
and  flowing  in  upon  the  earth.  Sometimes  a  whole  mountain 
chain  is  lifted  from  the  horizon  and  hung  in  the  air,  with  its 
reflected  image  joined  to  it,  base  to  base.  I  frequently  saw, 
during  the  forenoon,  lakes  of  sparkling  blue  wTater,  apparently 
not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  The  waves  ripple  in  the  wind; 
tall  reeds  and  water-plants  grow  on  the  margin,  and  the  Desert 
rocks  behind  cast  their  shadows  on  the  surface.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  believe  it  a  delusion.  You  advance  nearer,  and  sudden- 
ly, you  know  not  how,  the  lake  vanishes.  There  is  a  grayish 
film  over  the  spot,  but  before  you  have  decided  whether  the 
film  is  in  the  air  or  in  your  eyes,  that  too  disappears,  and  you 
see  only  the  naked  sand.  What  you  took  to  be  reeds  and 
water-plants  probably  shows  itself  as  a  streak  of  dark  gravel. 
The  most  probable  explanation  of  the  mirage  which  I  could 
think  of,  was,  that  it  was  actually  a  reflection  of  the  sky  upon 
a  stratum  of  heated  air,  next  the  sand. 

I  found  the  Desert  life  not  only  endurable  but  very  agree- 
able. No  matter  how  warm  it  might  be  at  mid-day,  the  nights 
were  always  fresh  and  cool,  and  the  wind  blew  strong  from  the 
north-west,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time.  The  tempera- 
ture varied  from  50°— 55°  at  6  a.  m.  to  80°— 85°  at  2  p.  m. 
The  extremes  were  47°  and  100°.  So  great  a  change  of  tem- 
perature every  day  was  not  so  unpleasant  as  might  be  suppos- 
ed. In  my  case,  Nature  seemed  to  make  a  special  provision 
in  order  to  keep  the  balance  right.     During  the  hot  hours  of 


LIFE    IN    THE    DESERT.  181 

the  day  I  never  suffered  inconvenience  from  the  heat,  but  up 
to  85°  felt  sufficiently  cool.  I  seemed  to  absorb  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  and  as  night  came  on  and  the  temperature  of  the  air 
fell,  that  of  my  skin  rose,  till  at  last  I  glowed  through  and 
through,  like  a  live  coal.  It  was  a  peculiar  sensation,  which  I 
never  experienced  before,  but  was  rather  pleasant  than  other- 
wise. My  face,  however,  which  was  alternately  exposed  to  the 
heat  radiated  from  the  sand,  and  the  keen  morning  wind,  could 
not  accommodate  itself  to  so  much  contraction  and  expansion. 
The  skin  cracked  and  peeled  off  more  than  once,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  rub  it  daily  with  butter.  I  mounted  my  dromedary 
with  a  u  shining  morning  face,"  until,  from  alternate  buttering 
and  burning,  it  attained  the  hue  and  crispness  of  a  well-basted 
partridge. 

I  soon  fell  into  a  regular  daily  routine  of  travel,  which, 
during  all  my  later  experiences  of  the  Desert,  never  became 
monotonous.  I  rose  at  dawn  every  morning,  bathed  my  eyes 
with  a  handful  of  the  precious  water,  and  drank  a  cup  of 
coffee.  After  the  tent  had  been  struck  and  the  camels  laden, 
I  walked  ahead  for  two  hours,  often  so  far  in  advance  that  I 
lost  sight  and  hearing  of  the  caravan.  I  found  an  unspeak- 
able fascination  in  the  sublime  solitude  of  the  Desert.  I  often 
beheld  the  sun  rise,  when,  within  the  wide  ring  of  the  horizon, 
there  was  no  other  living  creature  to  be  seen.  He  came  up 
like  a  god,  in  awful  glory,  and  it  would  have  been  a  natural 
act,  had  I  cast  myself  upon  the  sand  and  worshipped  him. 
The  sudden  change  in  the  coloring  of  the  landscape,  on  his  ap- 
pearance— the  lighting  up  of  the  dull  sand  into  a  warm  golden 
hue,  and  the  tintings  of  purple  and  violet  on  the  distant  por- 
phyry hills — was  a  morning  miracle,  which  I  never  beheld 


182  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

without  awe.  The  richness  of  this  coloring  made  the  Desert 
beautiful ;  it  was  too  brilliant  for  desolation.  The  scenery,  so 
far  from  depressing,  inspired  and  exhilarated  me.  I  never 
felt  the  sensation  of  physical  health  and  strength  in  such  per- 
fection, and  was  ready  to  shout  from  morning  till  night,  from 
the  overflow  of  happy  spirits.  The  air  is  an  elixir  of  life — as 
sweet  and  pure  and  refreshing  as  that  which  the  first  Man 
breathed,  on  the  morning  of  Creation.  You  inhale  the  una- 
dulterated elements  of  the  atmosphere,  for  there  are  no  exha- 
lations from  moist  earth,  vegetable  matter,  or  the  smokes  and 
steams  which  arise  from  the  abodes  of  men,  to  stain  its  purity. 
This  air,  even  more  than  its  silence  and  solitude,  is  the  secret 
of  one's  attachment  to  the  Desert.  It  is  a  beautiful  illustra- 
tion of  the  compensating  care  of  that  Providence,  which  leaves 
none  of  the  waste  places  of  the  earth  without  some  atoning 
glory.  Where  all  the  pleasant  aspects  of  Nature  are  wanting 
— where  there  is  no  green  thing,  no  fount  for  the  thirsty  lip, 
scarcely  the  shadow  of  a  rock  to  shield  the  wanderer  in  the 
blazing  noon — God  has  breathed  upon  the  wilderness  his 
sweetest  and  tenderest  breath,  giving  clearness  to  the  eye, 
strength  to  the  frame,  and  the  most  joyous  exhilaration  to  the 
spirits. 

Achmet  always  insisted  on  my  taking  a  sabre  as  a  protec- 
tion against  the  hyenas,  but  I  was  never  so  fortunate  as  to  see 
more  than  their  tracks,  which  crossed  the  path  at  every  step. 
I  saw  occasionally  the  footprints  of  ostriches,  but  they,  as  well 
as  the  giraffe,  are  scarce  in  this  Desert.  Towards  noon,  Ach- 
met and  I  made  a  halt  in  the  shadow  of  a  rock,  or  if  no  rock 
was  at  hand,  on  the  bare  sand,  and  took  our  breakfast.  One's 
daily  bread  is  never  sweeter  than  in  the  Desert.     The  rest  of 


DESEIiT   SCENERY.  183 

the  day  I  jogged  along  patiently  beside  the  baggage  camels, 
and  at  sunset  halted  for  the  night.  A  divan  on  the  sand,  and 
a  well-filled  pipe,  gave  me  patience  while  dinner  was  prepar- 
ing, and  afterwards  I  made  the  necessary  entries  in  my  jour- 
nal. I  had  no  need  to  court  sleep,  after  being  rocked  all  day 
on  the  dromedary. 

At  the  close  of  the  third  day,  we  encamped  opposite  a 
mountain  which  Eyoub  called  Djedel  Khattab  (the  Mountain 
of  Wood).  The  Bahr  Khattab,  a  river  of  sand,  simijar  to 
the  Bahr  bela  Ma,  and  probably  a  branch  of  it,  crossed  our 
path.  I  here  discovered  that  the  water-skins  I  had  hired 
from  Shekh  Abou-Mohammed  were  leaky,  and  that  our  eight 
skins  were  already  reduced  to  four,  while  the  Arabs  had  en- 
tirely exhausted  their  supply.  This  rendered  strict  economy 
necessary,  as  there  was  but  a  single  well  on  the  road.  Until 
noon  the  next  day  we  journeyed  over  a  vast  plain  of  sand,  in- 
terrupted by  low  reefs  of  black  rock.  To  the  south-east  it 
stretched  unbroken  to  the  sky,  and  looking  in  that  direction, 
I  saw  two  hemispheres  of  yellow  and  blue,  sparkling  all  over 
with  light  and  heat,  so  that  the  eye  winked  to  behold  them. 
The  colocynth  (called  by  the  Arabs  murrdr),  grew  in  many 
places  in  the  dry,  hot  sand.  The  fruit  resembles  a  melon,  and 
is  so  intensely  bitter  that  no  animal  will  eat  it.  I  made 
breakfast  under  the  lee  of  an  isolated  rock,  crowded  with  a 
beacon  of  camel-bones.  We  here  met  three  Ababdehs,  armed 
with  long  spears,  on  their  way  to  Korosko.  Soon  after  mid- 
day the  plain  was  broken  by  low  ranges  of  hills,  and  we  saw  in 
front  and  to  the  east  of  us  many  blue  mountain-chains.  Our 
road  approached  one  of  them — a  range,  several  miles  in  length, 
the  highest  peak  of  which  reached  an  altitude  of  a  thousand 


184  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

feet.  The  sides  were  precipitous  and  formed  of  vertical  strata, 
but  the  crests  were  agglomerations  of  loose  stones,  as  if  shaken 
out  of  some  enormous  coal-scuttle.  The  glens  and  gorges  were 
black  as  ink ;  no  speck  of  any  other  color  relieved  the  terrible 
gloom  of  this  singular  group  of  hills.  Their  aspect  was  much 
more  than  sterile :  it  was  infernal.  The  name  given  to  them 
by  the  guide  was  Djilet  eJ  Djindee,  the  meaning  of  which  I 
could  not  learn.  At  their  foot  I  found  a  few  thorny  shrubs, 
the  first  sign  of  vegetation  since  leaving  Korosko. 

We  encamped  half  an  hour  before  sunset  on  a  gravelly 
plain,  between  two  spurs  of  the  savage  hills,  in  order  that  our 
camels  might  browse  on  the  shrubs,  and  they  were  only  too 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  permission.  They  snapped  off 
the  hard,  dry  twigs,  studded  with  cruel  thorns,  and  devoured 
them  as  if  their  tongues  were  made  of  cast-iron.  We  were 
now  in  the  haunts  of  the  gazelle  and  the  ostrich,  but  saw 
nothing  of  them.  Shekh  Ali  taught  me  a  few  words  of  the 
Bisharee  language,  asking  for  the  English  words  in  return, 
and  was  greatly  delighted  when  I  translated  olcam  (camel), 
into  "  0  camel  ! "  "  Wallah  ! "  said  he,  "  your  language  is 
the  same  as  ours."  The  Bisharee  tongue  abounds  with 
vowels,  and  is  not  unmusical.  Many  of  the  substantives  com- 
mence with  o — as  omeh,  a  donkey  ;  oshci,  a  cow  ;  ogana,  a  ga- 
zelle. The  plural  changes  o  into  a,  as  akam,  camels  ;  amelc, 
donkeys,  &c.  The  language  of  the  Ababdehs  is  different  from 
that  of  the  Bisharees,  but  probably  sprang  from  the  same 
original  stock.  Lepsius  considers  that  the  Kenoos  dialect  of 
Nubia  is  an  original  African  tongue,  having  no  affinity  with 
any  of  the  Shemitic  languages. 

On  the  fifth  day  we  left  the  plain,  and  entered  a  country 


THE    WELLS    OF    MURR-HAT.  185 

of  broken  mountain-ranges.  In  one  place  the  road  passed 
through  a  long,  low  hill  of  slate  rock,  by  a  gap  which  had  been 
purposely  broken.  The  strata  were  vertical,  the  laminae  vary- 
ing from  one  to  four  inches  in  thickness,  and  of  as  fine  a  quali- 
ty and  smooth  a  surface  as  I  ever  saw.  A  long  wady,  or  val- 
ley, which  appeared  to  be  the  outlet  of  some  mountain-basin, 
was  crossed  by  a  double  row  of  stunted  doum-palms,  marking 
a  water-course  made  by  the  summer  rains.  Eyoub  pointed  it 
out  to  me,  as  the  half-way  station  between  Korosko  and  Abou- 
Hainmed.  For  two  hours  longer  we  threaded  the  dry  wadys, 
shut  in  by  black,  chaotic  hills.  It  was  now  noonday,  I  was 
very  hungry,  and  the  time  allotted  by  Eyoub  for  reaching  Bir 
Murr-hdt  had  passed.  He  saw  my  impatience  and  urged  his 
dromedary  into  a  trot,  calling  out  to  me  to  follow  him.  We 
bent  to  the  west,  turned  the  flank  of  a  high  range,  and  after 
half  an  hour's  steady  trotting,  reached  a  side-valley  or  cul-de- 
sac,  branching  off  from  the  main  wady.  A  herd  of  loose 
camels,  a  few  goats,  two  black  camel's-hair  tents,  and  half  a 
dozen  half-naked  Ababdehs,  showed  that  we  had  reached  the 
wells.  A  few  shallow  pits,  dug  in  the  centre  of  the  valley,  fur- 
nished an  abundance  of  bitter,  greenish  water,  which  the 
camels  drank,  but  which  I  could  not  drink.  The  wells  are 
called  by  the  Arabs  el  morra,  "  the  bitter."  Fortunately,  I 
had  two  skins  of  Nile-water  left,  which,  with  care,  would  last 
to  Abou-Hammed.  The  water  was  always  cool  and  fresh, 
though  in  color  and  taste  it  resembled  a  decoction  of  old  shoes. 
We  found  at  the  wells  Capt.  Peel's  Syrian  friend,  Churi, 
who  was  on  his  way  to  Korosko  with  five  camels,  carrying  the 
Captain's  baggage.  He  left  immediately  after  my  arrival,  or 
I  might  have  sent  by  him  a  Christmas  greeting  to  friends  at 


186 


JOUENEY  TO   CENTRAL   AFRICA. 


home.  During  the  afternoon  three  slave-merchants  arrived,  in 
four  days  from  Abou-Hammed.  Their  caravan  of  a  hundred 
and  fifty  slaves  was  on  the  way.  They  were  tall,  strong,  hand- 
some men,   dark-brown  in  complexion,  but  with   regular  fea- 


The  Wells  of  Murr-Fat. 

turcs.  .They  were  greatly  pleased  with  my  sketch-book,  but 
retreated  hastily  when  I  proposed  making  a  drawing  of  them. 
I  then  called  Eyoub  into  my  tent,  who  willingly  enough  sat 
for  the  rough  sketch  which  heads  this  chapter.  Achmet  did 
his  best  to  give  me  a  good  Christinas  dinner,  but  the  pigeons 
were  all  gone,  and  the  few  fowls  which  remained  were  so  spirit- 
less from  the  heat  and  jolting  of  the  camel,  that  their  slaugh- 
ter anticipated  their  natural  death  by .  a  very  short  time. 
Nevertheless,  I  produced  a  cheery  illumination  by  the  tent- 
lanterns,  and  made  Eyoub  and  the  Bisharees  happy  with  a 
bottle  of  arakee  and  some  handfulls  of  tobacco.     The  wind 


MEETING    CARAVANS.  187 

whistled  drearily  around  my  tent,  but  I  glowed  like  fire  from 
the  oozing  out  of  the  heat  I  had  absorbed,  and  the  Arabs  with- 
out, squatted  around  their  fire  of  camel's  dung,  sang  the  wild, 
monotonous  songs  of  the  Desert. 

We  left  Murr-hat  at  sunrise,  on  the  morning  of  the  sixth 
day.  I  walked  ahead,  through  the  foldings  of  the  black  moun- 
tains, siDging  as  I  went,  from  the  inspiration  of  the  brilliant 
eky  and  the  pure  air.  In  an  hour  and  a  half  the  pass  opened 
on  a  broad  i»ain  of  sand,  and  I  waited  for  my  caravan,  as  the 
day  was  growing  hot.  On  either  side,  as  we  continued  our 
journey,  the  blue  lakes  of  the  mirage  glittered  in  the  sun. 
Several  isolated  pyramids  rose  above  the  horizon,  far  to  the 
East,  and  a  purple  mountain-range  in  front,  apparently  two  or 
three  hours  distant,  stretched  from  east  to  west.  "  We  will 
breakfast  in  the  shade  of  those  mountains,"  I  said  to  Achmet, 
but  breakfast-time  came  and  they  seemed  no  nearer,  so  I  sat 
down  in  the  sand  and  made  my  meal.  Towards  noon  we  met 
large  caravans  of  camels,  coming  from  Berber.  Some  were 
laden  with  gum,  but  the  greater  part  were  without  burdens,  as 
they  were  to  be  sold  in  Egypt.  In  the  course  of  the  day  up- 
wards of  a  thousand  passed  us.  Among  the  persons  we  met 
was  Capt.  Peel's  cawass,  or  janissary  (whom  he  had  left  in 
Khartoum),  on  his  return,  with  five  camels  and  three  slaves. 
which  he  had  purchased  on  speculation.  He  gave  such  a  dis- 
mal account  of  Soudan,  that  Achmet  was  quite  gloomy  for  the 
rest  of  the  day. 

The  afternoon  was  intensely  hot,  the  thermometer  standing 
at  100°,  but  I  felt  little  annoyance  from  the  heat,  and  used  no 
protection  against  it.  The  sand  was  deep  and  the  road  a  wea- 
ry one  for  the  camels,  but  the  mountains  which  seemed  so  near 


188  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

at  hand  in  the  morning  were  not  yet  reached.  We  pushed  for- 
ward ;  the  sun  went  down,  and  the  twilight  was  over  before  we 
encamped  at  their  base.  The  tent  was  pitched  by  the  light  of 
the  crescent  moon,  which  hung  over  a  pitchy-black  peak.  I 
had  dinner  at  the  fashionable  hour  of  seven.  Achmet  was 
obliged  to  make  soup  of  the  water  of  Murr-hat,  which  had  an 
abominable  taste.  I  was  so  drowsy  that  before  my  pipe  was 
finished,  I  tumbled  upon  my  mattress,  and  was  unconscious 
until  midnight,  when  I  awoke  with  the  sensation  of  swimming 
in  a  river  of  lava.  Eyoub  called  the  mountain  Kab  el  Kafass 
— an  absurd  name,  without  meaning — but  I  suspect  it  is  the 
same  ridge  which  crosses  the  caravan  route  from  Shendy  to 
Assouan,  and  which  is  called  Djebel  Shigre  by  Bruce  and 
Burckhardt. 

The  tent  was  struck  in  the  morning  starlight,  at  which 
time  the  thermometer  stood  at  55°.  I  walked  alone  through 
the  mountains,  which  rose  in  conical  peaks  to  the  height  of 
near  a  thousand  feet.  The  path  was  rough  and  stony  until  I 
reached  the  outlet  of  the  pass.  When  the  caravan  came  up,  I 
found  that  the  post-courier  who  left  Korosko  two  days  after 
us,  had  joined  it.  He  was  a  jet-black,  bare-headed  and  bare- 
legged Bisharee,  mounted  on  a  dromedary.  He  remained  with 
us  all  day,  and  liked  our  company  so  well  that  he  encamped 
with  us,  in  preference  to  continuing  his  journey.  On  leaving 
the  mountain,  we  entered  a  plain  of  coarse  gravel,  abounding 
with  pebbles  of  agate  and  jasper.  Another  range,  which 
Eyoub  called  Djebel  Dighlee,  appeared  in  front,  and  we  reach- 
ed it  about  noon.  The  day  was  again  hot,  the  mercury  rising 
to  95°.  It  took  us  nearly  an  hour  to  pass  Djebel  Dighlee, 
beyond  which  the  plain  stretched  away  to  the  Nile,  interrupt- 


THE    MOUNTAIN    OF    MOKRAT.  189 

ed  here  and  there  by  a  distant  peak.  Far  in  advance  of  us  lay 
Djebel  Mokrat,  the  limit  of  the  next  day's  journey.  From  its 
top,  said  Eyoub,  one  may  see  the  palm-groves  along  the  Nile, 
We  encamped  on  the  open  plain,  not  far  from  two  black  pyra- 
midal hills,  in  the  flush  of  a  superb  sunset.  The  ground  was 
traversed  by  broad  strata  of  gray  granite,  which  lay  on  the 
surface  in  huge  boulders.  Our  camels  here  found  a  few  bunch- 
es of  dry,  yellow  grass,  which  had  pierced  the  gravelly  soil. 
To  the  south-east  was  a  mountain  called  by  the  Arabs  Djebel 
Nogdra  (the  Mountain  of  the  Drum),  because,  as  Eyoub  de- 
clared, a  devil  who  had  his  residence  among  its  rocks,  frequent- 
ly beat  a  drum  at  night,  to  scare  the  passing  caravans. 

The  stars  were  sparkling  freshly  and  clearly  when  I  rose, 
on  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day,  and  Djebel  Mokrat  lay  like 
a  faint  shadow  on  the  southern  horizon.  The  sun  revealed  a 
few  isolated  peaks  to  the  right  and  left,  but  merely  distant 
isles  on  the  vast,  smooth  ocean  of  the  Desert.  It  was  a  rap- 
ture to  breathe  air  of  such  transcendent  purity  and  sweetness. 
I  breakfasted  on  the  immense  floor,  sitting  in  the  sun,  and  then 
jogged  on  all  day,  in  a  heat  of  90°,  towards  Djebel  Mokrat, 
which  seemed  as  far  off  as  ever.  The  sun  went  down,  and  it 
was  still  ahead  of  us.  "  That  is  a  Djebel  Shaytan"  I  said  to 
Eyoub;  "  or  rather,  it  is  no  mountain  ;  it  is  an  afrite."  "  0 
Effendi ! "  said  the  old  man,  "  don't  speak  of  afrites  here. 
There  are  many  in  this  part  of  the  Desert,  and  if  a  man  travels 
alone  here  at  night,  one  of  them  walks  behind  him  and  forces 
him  to  go  forward  and  forward,  until  he  has  lost  his  path.1' 
We  rode  on  by  the  light  of  the  moon  and  stars — silently  at 
first,  but  presently  Shekh  Ali  began  to  sing  his  favorite  song 
of  "  Yallah  salaameh,  el-hamdu  lillahfok  belameh"  and  one 


100  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

of  the  Kenoos,  to  beguile,  the  way,  recited  in  a  chanting  tone, 
copious  passages  from  the  Koran.  Among  other  things,  he 
related  the  history  of  Joseph,  which  Achmet  translated  to  me. 
The  whole  story  would  be  too  long  to  repeat,  but  portions  of  it 
are  interesting. 

"  After  Joseph  had  been  thrown  into  the  well,"  continued 
the  Kenoos,  "  a  caravan  of  Arabs  came  along,  and  began  to 
draw  water  for  the  camels,  when  one  of  the  men  said :  (  0 
Shekh,  there  is  something  in  the  well.'  'Well,'  said  the  Shekh, 
'  if  it  be  a  man,  he  belongs  to  me,  but  if  it  be  goods,  you  may 
have  them.'  So  they  drew  it  up,  and  it  was  Joseph,  and  the 
Shekh  took  him  to  Cairo  and  sold  him  to  Azeez  (Potiphar).' 
[I  omit  his  account  of  Potiphar's  wife,  which  could  not  well  be 
repeated.]  When  Joseph  was  in  prison,  he  told  what  was  the 
meaning  of  the  dreams  of  Sultan  Faraoon's  baker  and  butler, 
who  were  imprisoned  with  him.  The  Sultan  himself  soon 
afterwards  had  a  dream  about  seven  fat  cows  eating  seven  lean 
ones,  which  nobody  could  explain.  Then  the  jailer  went  to 
Faraoon,  and  said  :  '  Here  is  Joseph,  in  jail — he  can  tell  you 
all  about  it.'  Faraoon  said  :  'Bring  him  here,  then.'  So  they 
put  Joseph  in  a  bath,  washed  him,  shaved  his  head,  gave  him 
a  new  white  turban,  and  took  him  to  the  Sultan,  who  said  to 
him  :  '  Can  you  explain  my  dream  ? '  '  To  be  sure  I  can,'  said 
Joseph,  *  but  if  I  tell  you,  you  must  make  me  keeper  of  your 
magazines.'  'Very  well:'  said  Faraoon.  Then  Joseph  told 
how  the  seven  fat  cows  meant  seven  years  when  the  Nile  would 
have  two  inundations  a  year,  and  the  seven  lean  cows,  seven 
years  afterwards  when  it  would  have  no  inundation  at  all ;  and 
lie  said  to  Faraoon  that  since  he  was  now  magazine -keeper,  he 
Bhould  take  from  all  the  country  as  far  as  Assouan,  during  the 


THE    LAST    DAY    IN    THE    DESERT.  191 

seven  fat  years,  enough  wheat  and  dourra  and  beans,  to  last 
during  the  seven  lean  ones.'1  The  narrator  might  have 
added  that  the  breed  of  fat  kine  has  never  been  restored,  all 
the  cattle  of  Egypt  being  undoubted  descendants  of  the  leau 
stock. 

Two  hours  after  sunset,  we  hilled  Djebel  Mokrat,  as  the 
Arabs  say  :  that  is,  turned  its  corner.  The  weary  camels  were 
let  loose  among  some  clumps  of  dry,  rustling  reeds,  and  I 
stretched  myself  out  on  the  sand,  after  twelve  hours  in  the 
saddle.  Our  water  was  nearly  exhausted  by  this  time,  and 
the  provisions  were  reduced  to  hermits'  fare — bread,  rice  and 
dates.  I  had,  however,  the  spice  of  a  savage  appetite,  which 
was  no  sooner  appeased,  than  I  fell  into  a  profound  sleep.  I 
could  not  but  admire  the  indomitable  pluck  of  the  little  don- 
keys owned  by  the  Kenoos.  These  animals  not  only  carried 
provisions  and  water  for  themselves  and  their  masters,  the 
whole  distance,  but  the  latter  rode  them  the  greater  part  of  the 
way ;  yet  they  kept  up  with  the  camels,  plying  their  little  legs 
as  ambitiously  the  last  day  as  the  first.  I  doubt  whether  a 
horse  would  have  accomplished  as  much  under  similar  circum- 
stances. 

The  next  morning  we  started  joyfully,  in  hope  of  seeing 
the  Nile,  and  even  Eyoub,  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  Ko- 
rosko,  helped  to  load  the  camels.  In  an  hour  we  passed  the 
mountain  of  Mokrat,  but  the  same  endless  plain  of  yellow 
gravel  extended  before  us  to  the  horizon.  Eyoub  had  promised 
that  we  should  reach  Abou-Hammed  in  half  a  day,  and  even 
pointed  out  some  distant  blue  mountains  in  the  south,  as  being 
beyond  the  Nile.  Nevertheless,  we  travelled  nearly  till  noon 
without  any  change  of  scenery,  and  no  more  appearance  of  river 


132  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

than  the  abundant  streams  of  the  mirage,  on  all  sides.  I  drank 
my  last  cup  of  water  for  breakfast,  and  then  continued  my  march 
in  the  burning  sun,  with  rather  dismal  spirits.  Finally,  the 
Desert,  which  had  been  rising  since  we  left  the  mountain,  be- 
gan to  descend,  and  I  saw  something  like  round  granite  bould- 
ers lying  on  the  edge  of  the  horizon.  u  Eifendi,  see  the  doum- 
trees  ! "  cried  Eyoub.  I  looked  again  :  they  were  doum-palms, 
and  so  broad  and  green  that  they  must  certainly  stand  near 
water.  Soon  we  descended  into  a  hollow  in  the  plain,  looking 
down  which  I  saw  to  the  south  a  thick  grove  of  trees,  and  over 
their  tops  the  shining  surface  of  the  Nile.  "  Ali,"  I  called  to 
my  sailor-servant,  "  look  at  that  great  hahr  shaytan  !  "  The 
son  of  the  Nile,  who  had  never  before,  in  all  his  life,  been  more 
than  a  day  out  of  sight  of  its  current,  was  almost  beside  him- 
self with  joy.  "Wallah,  master,"  he  cried,  "that  is  no  river 
of  the  Devil :  it  is  the  real  Nile — the  water  of  Paradise."  It 
did  my  heart  good  to  see  his  extravagant  delight.  "  If  you 
were  to  give  me  five  piastres,  master,"  said  he,  "  I  would  not 
drink  the  bitter  water  of  Mnrr-hat."  The  guide  made  me  a 
salutation,  in  his  dry  way,  and  the  two  Nubians  greeted  me 
with  "  a  great  welcome  to  you,  0,  Efifendi !  "  With  every  step 
the  valley  unfolded  before  me — such  rich  deeps  of  fanLko  foli- 
age, such  a  glory  in  the  green  of  the  beans  and  lupins,  such 
radiance  beyond  description  in  the  dance  of  the  sunbeams  on 
the  water  !  The  landscape  was  balm  to  my  burning  eyes,  and 
the  mere  sight  of  the  glorious  green  herbage  was  a  sensuous 
delight,  in  which  I  rioted  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 


The  Tent-Door,  at  Abou 


CHAPTER     XV. 

THE      ETHIOPIAN      FRONTIER. 

Draught  of  Water— Abou-Hammed— The  Island  of  Mokrat— Ethiopian  Scenery— 
The  People— An  Ababdeh  Apollo— Encampment  on  the  Nile— Tomb  of  an  English- 
man—Eesa's  Wedding— A  White  Arab— The  Last  Day  of  the  Year— Abou-IIashym 
—Incidents — Loss  of  my  Thermometer— The  Valley  of  Wild  Asses — The  Eleventh 
Cataract — Approach  to  Berber — Vultures — Eyoub  Outwitted — We  reach  El  Mek- 
hcyref— The  Caravan  Broken  up. 


Achmet  and  I  began  to  feel  thirst,  so  we  hurried  on  in  ad- 
vance, to  the  mud  hamlet  of  Abou-Hammed.  We  dismounted 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  we  were  received  bj  a  dark 
Ababdeh,  who  was  officiating  in  place  of  the  Governor,  and  in- 
vited me  to  take  possession  of  the  latter's  house.  Achmet 
gave  him  a  large  wooden  bowl  and  told  him  to  fill  it  from  the 
Nile,  and  we  would  talk  to  him  afterwards.  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  luxury  of  that  long,  deep  draught.  My  body  absorbed 
9 


194  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

the  water  as  rapidly  as  the  hot  sand  of  the  Desert,  and  I  drank 
at  least  a  quart  without  feeling  satisfied.  I  preferred  my  tent 
to  the  Governor's  house,  and  had  it  pitched  where  I  could  look 
out  on  the  river  and  the  palms.  Abou-Hammed  is  a  miserable 
village,  inhabited  by  a  few  hundred  Ababdehs  and  Bisharees 
The  Desert  here  extended  to  the  water's  edge,  while  the  oppo- 
site banks  were  as  green  as  emerald.  There  was  a  large  mud 
fortress,  with  round  bastions  at  the  corners,  to  the  west  of  the 
village.  It  formerly  belonged  to  an  Ababdeh  Shekh,  but  was 
then  deserted. 

In  the  afternoon  I  crossed  to  the  island  of  Mokrat,  which 
lies  opposite.  The  vessel  was  a  sort  of  a  canoe,  made  of  pieces 
of  the  doum-palm,  tied  together  with  ropes  and  plastered  with 
mud.  My  oarsmen  were  two  boys  of  fifteen,  half-naked  fellows 
with  long,  wild  hair,  yet  very  strong  and  symmetrical  limbs 
and  handsome  features.  I  landed  in  the  shade  of  the 
palms,  and  walked  for  half  an  hour  along  the  shore,  through 
patches  of  dourra  and  cotton,  watered  by  the  creaking  mills. 
The  whole  island,  which  is  upwards  of  twenty  miles  long,  is 
level  and  might  be  made  productive,  but  the  natives  only  cul- 
tivate a  narrow  strip  along  the  water.  The  trees  were  doum 
and  date  palm  and  acacia,  and  I  saw  in  the  distance  others  of 
a  rich,  dark  green,  which  appeared  to  be  sycamore.  The  hip- 
popotamus is  found  here,  and  the  boatmen  showed  me  the 
enormous  tracks  of  three,  which  had  made  havoc  among  their 
bean-patches  the  day  before.  As  I  was  returning  to  the  boat 
I  met  three  natives,  tall,  strong,  stately  men.  I  greeted  them 
with  "  Peace  be  with  you  ! "  and  they  answered  "  Peace  be 
with  you,"  at  the  same  time  offering  their  hands.  We  talked 
for  some  time  in  broken  Arabic,  and  I  have  rarely  seen  such 


ABOU-HAMMED.  195 

good-will  expressed  in  savage  features.  In  fact,  all  tlie  faces  I 
now  saw  were  of  a  superior  stamp  to  that  of  the  Egyptians. 
They  expressed  not  only  more  strength  and  independence,  but 
more  kindness  and  gentleness. 

I  procured  a  lean  sheep  for  eight  piastres,  and  after  Ach- 
met  had  chosen  the  best  parts  for  my  dinner,  I  gave  the  re- 
mainder to  Eyoub  and  the  Bisharees.  The  camels  were  driven 
down  to  the  river,  but  only  three  drank  out  of  the  six.  I  took 
my  seat  in  the  shade  of  the  tent,  and  looked  at  the  broad  blue 
current  of  the  Nile  for  hours,  without  being  wearied  of  the 
scene.  Groups  of  tall  Bisharees  stood  at  a  respectable  dis- 
tance, gazing  upon  me,  for  a  Frank  traveller  was  no  common 
sight.  In  the  evening  I  attempted  to  reduce  my  desert  tem- 
perature by  a  bath  in  the  river,  but  I  had  become  so  sensitive 
to  cold  that  the  water  made  me  shudder  in  every  nerve,  and  it 
required  a  double  portion  of  pipes  and  coffee  to  restore  my 
natural  warmth. 

I  left  Abou-IIammed  at  noon  the  next  day,  having  been 
detained  by  some  government  tax  on  camels,  which  my  Bisha- 
rees were  called  upon  to  pay.  Our  road  followed  the  river,  occa- 
sionally taking  to  the  Desert  for  a  short  distance,  to  cut  off  a 
bend,  but  never  losing  sight  of  the  dark  clumps  of  palms  and 
the  vivid  coloring  of  the  grain  on  the  western  bank.  The 
scenery  bore  a  very  different  stamp  from  that  of  Egypt.  The 
colors  were  darker,  richer  and  stronger,  the  light  more  intense 
and  glowing,  and  all  forms  of  vegetable  and  animal  life  pene- 
trated with  a  more  full  and  impassioned  expression  of  life. 
The  green  of  the  fields  actually  seemed  to  throb  under  the 
fiery  gush  of  sunshine,  and  the  palm  leaves  to  thrill  and  trem- 
ble in  the  hot  blue  air.     The  people  were  glorious  barbarians — ■ 


196  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

large,  tall,  full-limbed,  with  oj>en,  warm,  intelligent  faces  and 
lustrous  black  eyes.  They  dress  with  more  neatness  than  the 
Egyptian  Fellahs,  and  their  long  hair,  though  profusely  smear- 
ed with  suet,  is  arranged  with  some  taste  and  clothes  their 
heads  better  than  the  dirty  cotton  skull-cap.  Among  those  I 
saw  at  Abou-Hammed  were  two  youths  of  about  seventeen, 
who  were  wonderfully  beautiful.  One  of  them  played  a  sort 
of  coarse  reed  flute,  and  the  other  a  rude  stringed  instrument, 
which  he  called  a  tambour.  He  was  a  superb  fellow,  with  the 
purest  straight  Egyptian  features,  and  large,  brilliant,  melting 
black  eyes.  Every  posture  of  his  body  expressed  a  grace  the 
most  striking  because  it  was  wholly  unstudied.  I  have  never 
seen  human  forms  superior  to  these  two.  The  first,  whom  I 
named  the  Apollo  Ababdese,  joined  my  caravan,  for  the  jour- 
ney to  Berber.  He  carried  with  him  all  his  wealth — a  flute,  a 
sword,  and  a  heavy  shield  of  hippopotamus  hide.  His  features 
were  as  perfectly  regular  as  the  Greek,  but  softer  and  rounder 
in  outline.  His  limbs  were  without  a  fault,  and  the  light  poise 
of  his  head  on  the  slender  neck,  the  fine  play  of  his  shoulder- 
blades  and  the  muscles  of  his  back,  as  he  walked  before  me, 
wearing  only  a  narrow  cloth  around  his  loins,  would  have 
charmed  a  sculptor's  eye.  He  walked  among  my  camel-dri 
vers  as  Apollo  might  have  walked  among  the  other  shepherds 
of  King  Admetus.  Like  the  god,  his  implement  was  the  flute; 
he  was  a  wandering  minstrel,  and  earned  his  livelihood  by  play- 
ing at  the  festivals  of  the  Ababdehs.  His  name  was  Eesa,  the 
Arabic  for  Jesus.  I  should  have  been  willing  to  take  several 
shades  of  his  complexion  if  I  could  have  had  with  them  his 
perfect  ripeness,  roundness  and  symmetry  of  body  and  limb. 
He  told  me  that  he  smoked  no  tobacco  and  drank  no  ara- 


ENCAMPMENT    ON    THE    NILE. 


19* 


kee,  but  only  water  and  milk — a  true  offshoot  of  the  golden 


Abebdeh  Flute  and  Tambour  Players. 

We  encamped  for  the  night  in  a  cluster  of  doum-palms, 
near  the  Nile.  The  soil,  even  to  the  edge  of  the  millet-patch- 
es which  covered  the  bank,  was  a  loose  white  sand,  and  shone 
like  snow  under  the  moon,  while  the  doum-leaves  rustled  with 
as  dry  and  sharp  a  sound  as  bare  boughs  under  a  northern  sky. 
The  wind  blew  fresh,  but  we  were  sheltered  by  a  little  rise  of 
land,  and  the  tent  stood  firm.  The  temperature  (72°)  was 
delicious ;  the  stars  sparkled  radiantly,  and  the  song  of  crickets 
among  the  millet  reminded  me  of  home.  No  sooner  had  we 
encamped  than  Eesa  ran  off  to  some  huts  which  he  spied  in 
the  distance,  and  told  the  natives  that  they  must  immediately 
bring  all  their  sheep  and  fowls  to  the  Effendi.  The  poor  peo- 
ple came  to  inquire  whether  they  must  part  with  their  stock, 
and  were  very  glad  when  they  found  that  we  wanted  nothing. 
I  took  only  two  cucumbers  which  an  old  man  brought  and 
humbly  placed  at  my  feet. 


193  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

The  next  morning  I  walked  ahead,  following  the  river  bank, 
but  the  camels  took  a  shorter  road  through  the  Desert,  and 
passed  me  unobserved.  After  walking  two  hours,  I  sought  for 
them  in  every  direction,  and  finally  came  upon  Ali,  who  was 
doing  his  best  to  hold  my  dromedary  down.  No  sooner  had  1 
straddled  the  beast  than  he  rose  and  set  off  on  a  swinging  gal- 
lop to  rejoin  the  caravan.  During  the  day  our  road  led  along 
the  edge  of  the  Desert,  sometimes  in  the  sand  and  sometimes 
over  gravelly  soil,  covered  with  patches  of  thorny  shrubs.  Until 
I  reached  the  village  of  Abou-Hashym,  in  the  evening,  there 
was  no  mark  of  cultivation  on  the  eastern  bank,  though  I  saw 
in  places  the  signs  of  fields  which  had  long  since  been  desert- 
ed. I  passed  several  burying  grounds,  in  one  of  which  the 
guide  showed  me  the  grave  of  Mr.  Melly,  an  English  gentle- 
man who  died  there  about  a  year  previous,  on  his  return  to 
Egypt  with  his  family,  after  a  journey  to  Khartoum.  His 
tomb  was  merely  an.  oblong  mound  of  unburnt  brick,  with  a 
rough  stone  at  the  head  and  foot.  It  had  been  strictly  re- 
spected by  the  natives,  who  informed  me  that  large  sums  were 
given  to  them  to  keep  it  in  order  and  watch  it  at  night.  They 
also  told  me  that  after  his  death  there  was  great  difficulty  in 
procuring  a  shroud.  The  only  muslin  in  the  neighborhood  was  a 
piece  belonging  to  an  old  Shekh,  who  had  kept  it  many  years,  in 
anticipation  of  his  own  death.  It  was  sacred,  having  been  sent 
to  Mecca  and  dipped  in  the  holy  well  of  Zemzem.  In  this  the 
body  was  wrapped  and  laid  in  the  earth.  The  grave  was  in  a 
dreary  spot,  out  of  sight  of  the  river  and  surrounded  by  desert, 
thorns. 

We  had  a  strong  north-wind  all  day.  The  sky  was  cloud- 
less, but  a  fine  white  film  filled  the  air,  and  the  distant  moun- 


A    WHITE    ARAB.  199 

tains  had  the  pale,  blue-gray  tint  of  an  English  landscape.  The 
Bisharees  wrapped  themselves  closely  in  their  mantles  as  they 
walked,  but  Eesa  only  tightened  the  cloth  around  his  loins, 
and  allowed  free  play  to  his  glorious  limbs.  He  informed  me 
that  he  was  on  his  way  to  Berber  to  make  preparations  for  his 
marriage,  which  was  to  take  place  in  another  moon.  He  and 
Hossayn  explained  to  me  how  the  Ababdehs  would  then  come 
together,  feast  on  camel's  flesh,  and  dance  their  sword-dances. 
"  I  shall  go  to  your  wedding,  too,"  I  said  to  Eesa.  "  Will  you 
indeed,  0  Effendi !  "  he  cried,  with  delight :  "then  I  shall  kill 
my  she-camel,  and  give  you  the  best  piece."  I  asked  whether 
I  should  be  kindly  received  among  the  Ababdehs,  and  Eyoub 
declared  that  the  men  would  be  glad  to  see  me,  but  that  the 
women  were  afraid  of  Franks.  "  But,"  said  Achmet,  "  the 
Effendi  is  no  Frank."  "How  is  this  ?"  said  Eyoub,  turning 
to  me.  "  Achmet  is  right,"  I  answered  ;  "  I  am  a  white  Arab, 
from  India."  "  But  do  you  not  speak  the  Frank  language, 
when  you  talk  with  each  other  ?"  "No,"  said  Achmet,  "we 
talk  Hindustanee."  "  0,  praised  be  Allah  !  "  cried  Hossayn, 
clapping  his  hands  with  joy :  "praised  be  Allah,  that  you  are 
an  Arab,  like  ourselves ! "  and  there  was  such  pleasure  in  the 
faces  of  all,  that  I  immediately  repented  of  having  deceived 
them.  They  assured  me,  however,  that  the  Ababdehs  would 
not  only  admit  me  into  their  tribe,  but  that  I  might  have  the 
handsomest  Ababdiyeh  that  could  be  found,  for  a  wife.  Hos- 
sayn had  already  asked  Achmet  to  marry  the  eldest  of-his  two 
daughters,  who  was  then  eleven  years  old. 

I  passed  the  last  evening  of  the  year  1851  on  the  bank  of 
the  Nile,  near  Abou-Hashym.  There  was  a  wild,  green  island 
in  the  stream,  and  reefs  of  black  rock,  which  broke  the  current 


200  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

into  rapids.  The  opposite  shore  was  greeu  and  lovely,  crown- 
ed with  groups  of  palms,  between  whose  stems  I  had  glimpses 
of  blue  mountains  far  to  the  south  and  west.  The  tempera- 
ture was  mild,  and  the  air  full  of  the  aroma  of  mimosa  blos- 
soms. When  night  came  on  I  enjoyed  the  splendid  moon  and 
starlight  of  the  tropics,  and  watched  the  Southern  Cross  rise 
above  the  horizon.  The  inhabitants  of  the  village  beat  their 
wooden  drums  lustily  all  night,  to  scare  the  hippopotami  away 
from  their  bean-fields.  My  dream  before  waking  was  of  an 
immense  lion,  which  I  had  tamed,  and  which  walked  beside 
me — a  propitious  omen,  said  the  Arabs. 

The  morning  was  so  cold  that  the  Bisharees  were  very  lan- 
guid in  their  movements,  and  even  I  was  obliged  to  don  my 
capote.  Eesa  helped  the  men  in  all  the  freedom  of  his  naked 
limbs,  and  showed  no  signs  of  numbness.  The  village  of 
Abou-Hashym  extends  for  three  or  four  miles  along  the  river, 
and  looked  charming  in  the  morning  sunshine,  with  its  bright 
fields  of  wheat,  cotton  and  dourra  spread  out  in  front  of  the 
tidy  clay  houses.  The  men  were  at  work  among  the  grain, 
directing  the  course  of  the  water,  and  shy  children  tended  the 
herds  of  black  goats  that  browsed  on  the  thorns  skirting  the 
Desert.  The  people  greeted  me  very  cordially,  and  when  I 
stopped  to  wait  for  the  camels  an  old  man  came  running  up  to 
inquire  if  I  had  lost  the  way.  The  western  bank  of  the  river 
is  still  richer  and  more  thickly  populated,  and  the  large  town 
of  Bedjem,  capital  of  the  Beyooda  country,  lies  just  opposite 
Abou-Hashym.  After  leaving  the  latter  place  our  road  swerv- 
ed still  more  from  the  Nile,  and  took  a  straight  course  over  a 
rolling  desert  tract  of  stones  and  thorns,  to  avoid  a  very  long 
curve  of  the  stream.     The  air  was  still  strong  from  the  north, 


LOSS    OF    MY    THERMOMETER.  201 

and  the  same  gray  vapor  tempered  the  sunshine  and  toned 
down  the  brilliant  tints  of  the  landscape. 

We  passed  several  small  burying-grounds,  in  which  many 
of  the  graves  were  decked  with  small  white  flags  stuck  on 
poles,  and  others  had  bowls  of  water  placed  at  the  head — a 
custom  for  which  I  could  get  no  explanation.  Near  El  Bagh- 
eyr,  where  we  struck  the  river  again,  we  met  two  Bedouins, 
who  had  turned  merchants  and  were  taking  a  drove  of  camels 
to  Egypt.  One  of  them  had  the  body  of  a  gazelle  which  he 
had  shot  two  days  before,  hanging  at  his  saddle,  and  offered  to 
sell  to  me,  but  the  flesh  had  become  too  dry  and  hard  for  my 
teeth.  Ali  succeeded  in  buying  a  pair  of  fowls  for  three  pias- 
tres, and  brought  me,  besides,  some  doum-nuts,  of  the  last 
year's  growth.  I  could  make  no  impression  on  them  until  the 
rind  had  been  pounded  with  stones.  The  taste  was  like  that  of 
dry  gingerbread,  and  when  fresh,  must  be  very  agreeable.  In  the 
fields  I  noticed  a  new  kind  of  grain,  the  heads  of  which  resem- 
bled rice.  The  natives  called  it  doolchn,  and  said  that  it  was  even 
more  nutritious  than  wheat  or  dourra,  though  not  so  palatable. 

I  signalized  New- Year's  Bay,  1852,  by  breaking  my  ther- 
mometer, which  fell  out  of  my  pocket  as  I  was  mounting  my 
dromedary.  It  was  impossible  to  replace  it,  and  one  point 
wherein  my  journey  might  have  been  useful  was  thus  lost. 
The  variations  of  temperature  at  different  hours  of  the  day 
were  very  remarkable,  and  on  leaving  Korosko  I  had  com- 
menced a  record  which  I  intended  to  keep  during  the  whole  of 
my  stay  in  Central  Africa.*     In  the  evening  I  found  in  the 

*  The  following  record  of  the  temperatiire,  from  the  time  of  leaving 
Korosko  to  the  date  of  the  accident  which  deprived  me  of  the  thermom- 
9* 


202  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Nile  a  fish  about  four  feet  long,  which  had  just  been  killed  by 
a  crocodile.  It  was  lying  near  the  water's  edge,  and  as  I  de- 
scended the  bank  to  examine  it,  two  slender  black  serpents  slid 
away  from  before  my  feet. 

We  struck  the  tent  early  the  next  morning,  and  entered 
on  the  akaba,  or  pass  of  the  Wady  el-homar.  (Valley  of 
Asses.)  It  was  a  barren,  stony  tract,  intersected  with  long 
hollows,  which  produced  a  growth  of  thorns  and  a  hard,  dry 
grass,  the  blades  of  which  cut  the  fingers  that  attempted  to 
pluck  it.  We  passed  two  short  ranges  of  low  hills,  which 
showed  the  same  strata  of  coal-black  shale,  as  in  the  Nubian 
Desert.  The  akaba  takes  its  name  from  the  numbers  of  wild 
asses  which  are  found  in  it.  These  beasts  are  remarkably  shy 
and  fleet,  but  are  sometimes  killed  and  eaten  by  the  Arabs. 
We  kept  a  sharp  look-out,  but  saw  nothing  more  than  their 
tracks  in  the  sand.     We  met  several  companies  of  the  village 

eter,  is  interesting,  as  it  shows  a  variation  fully  equal  to  that  of  our  own 
climate : 


7  a.  m. 

12  m. 

2  P.  N. 

Korosko, 

Dec. 

,  21st 

59° 

75° 

80° 

Desert, 

« 

22 

50° 

74° 

80° 

« 

" 

23 

55° 

75° 

(BahrbelaMa)  85° 

« 

u 

24 

51° 

70° 

78° 

u 

u 

25 

54° 

78° 

85° 

tt 

" 

26 

60° 

91° 

100° 

it 

« 

27 

55° 

— 

95° 

M 

« 

28 

59° 

— 

90° 

Abou  Hammed 

" 

29 

61° 

— 

90° 

The  Nile 

" 

30 

59° 

— 

85° 

M 

" 

31 

52° 

78° 

84° 

It 

Jan.  1st,  1852 

47° 

70° 

68° 

ETHIOPIAN  SCENERY.  203 

Arabs,  travelling  on  foot  or  on  donkeys.  The  women  were 
unveiled,  and  wore  the  same  cotton  mantle  as  the  men,  reach- 
ing from  the  waist  to  the  knees.  They  were  all  tolerably  old, 
and,  unlike  the  men,  were  excessively  ugly.  An  Ababdeh, 
riding  on  his  dromedary,  joined  company  with  us.  He  was 
naked  to  the  loins,  strongly  and  gracefully  built,  and  sat  erect 
on  his  high,  narrow  saddle,  as  if  he  and  his  animal  were  one — 
a  sort  of  camel-centaur.  His  hair  was  profuse  and  bushy,  but 
of  a  fine,  silky  texture,  and  "  short  Numidian  curl,"  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  crisp  wool  of  the  genuine  negro. 

In  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  Nile  again,  at  his  Elev 
enth  Cataract.  For  a  space  of  two  or  three  miles  his  bed  is 
filled  with  masses  of  black  rock,  in  some  places  forming  dams, 
over  which  the  current  roars  in  its  swift  descent.  The  eastern 
bank  is  desert  and  uninhabited,  but  the  western  delighted  the 
eye  with  the  green  brilliance  of  its  fields.  In  a  patch  of  desert 
grass  we  started  a  large  and  beautiful  gazelle,  spotted  like  a 
fallow-deer.  I  rode  towards  it  and  approached  within  thirty 
yards  before  it  moved  away.  At  sunset  we  reached  a  village 
called  Ginnaynetoo,  the  commencement  of  the  Berber  country. 
The  inhabitants,  who  dwelt  mostly  in  tents  of  palm-matting, 
were  very  friendly.  As  I  was  lying  in  my  tent,  in  the  even- 
ing, two,  who  appeared  to  be  the  principal  persons  of  the  place, 
came  in,  saluted  me  with  "  Peace  be  with  you ! "  and  asked 
for  my  health,  to  which  I  replied  :  "  Very  good,  Allah  be 
praised  ! "  Each  of  them  then  took  my  hand  in  his,  pressed  it 
to  his  lips  and  forehead,  and  quietly  retired. 

"We  resumed  our  march  through  a  dry,  rolling  country, 
grown  with  thorns,  acacias  in  flower,  and  occasional  doum- 
trees.     Beyond  the  Nile,  whose  current  was  no  longer  to  b« 


204  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA 

seen,  stretched  the  long  mountain  of  Berber,  which  we  first 
discerned  the  day  previous,  when  crossing  the  rise  of  the  Wa- 
dy  el-homar.  The  opposite  hank  was  a  sea  of  vivid  green,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Near  the  water  the  bean  and  lu- 
pin flourished  in  thick  clusters ;  behind  them  extended  fields 
of  cotton,  of  a  rich,  dark  foliage  ;  and  still  beyond,  tall  ranks 
of  dourra,  heavy  with  ripening  heads.  Island-like  groups  of 
date-trees  and  doum-palms  studded  this  rich  bed  of  vegetation, 
and  the  long,  blue  slope  of  the  mountain  gave  a  crowning 
charm  to  the  landscape.  As  we  approached  the  capital  of 
Berber,  the  villages  on  our  right  became  more  frequent,  but 
our  path  still  lay  over  the  dry  plain,  shimmering  with  the  lakes 
of  the  mirage.  We  passed  a  score  of  huge  vultures,  which 
had  so  gorged  themselves  with  the  carcase  of  a  camel,  that 
they  could  scarcely  move  out  of  our  way.  Among  them  were 
several  white  hawks,  a  company  of  crows,  and  one  tall  black 
stork,  nearly  five  feet  in  height,  which  walked  about  with  the 
deliberate  pace  of  a  staid  clergyman.  Flocks  of  quail  rose 
before  our  very  feet,  and  a  large  gray  dove,  with  a  peculiar 
cooing  note,  was  very  abundant  on  the  trees. 

My  shaytan  of  a  guide,  Eyoub,  wanted  to  stop  at  a  village 
called  El  Khassa,  wliich  we  reached  at  two  o'clock.  El  Me- 
kheyrcf,  he  said,  was  far  ahead,  and  we  could  not  get  there  ;  he 
would  give  us  a  sheep  for  our  dinner ;  the  Effendi  must  prove 
his  hospitality  (but  all  at  the  Effendi's  expense),  and  many 
other  weighty  reasons — but  it  would  not  do.  I  pushed  on 
ahead,  made  inquiries  of  the  natives,  and  in  two  hours  saw  be- 
fore me  the  mud  fortress  of  El  Mekheyref.  The  camel-men, 
who  were  very  tired,  from  the  long  walk  from  Korosko,  would 
willingly  have  stopped  at  El  Khassa,  but  when  I  pointed  out 


THE    CARAVAN    BROKEN    UP.  205 

Berber,  and  Achmet  told  them  they  could  not  deceive  me,  for 
I  had  the  truth  written  in  a  book,  they  said  not  a  word. 

We  entered  the  town,  which  was  larger,  cleaner  and  hand- 
somer than  any  place  I  had  seen  since  leaving  Siout.  Ar- 
naout  soldiers  were  mixed  with  the  Arabs  in  the  streets,  and 
we  met  a  harem  of  Cairene  ladies  taking  a  walk,  under  the 
escort  of  two  eunuchs.  One  of  them  stopped  and  greeted  us, 
and  her  large  black  eyes  sparkled  between  the  folds  of  her  veil 
as  she  exclaimed,  in  great  apparent  delight :  "  Ah,  I  know  you 
come  from  Cairo  ! "  I  passed  through  the  streets,  found  a 
good  place  for  my  tent  on  the  high  bank  above  the  water,  and 
by  an  hour  before  sunset  was  comfortably  encamped.  I  gave 
the  men  their  backsheesh — forty-seven  piastres  in  all,  with 
which  they  were  well  satisfied,  and  they  then  left  for  the  tents 
of  their  tribe,  about  two  hours  distant.  I  gave  Eesa  some 
trinkets  for  his  bride,  which  he  took  with  "  God  reward 
you  I "  pressed  my  hand  to  his  lips,  and  then  went  with  them. 


206  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

MY      RECEPTION      IN      BERBER. 

A  Wedding— My  Receptian  by  the  Military  Governor — Achmet — The  Bridegroom — A 
Guard — I  am  an  American  Bey — Keff — The  Bey's  Visit — The  Civil  Governor — 
About  the  Navy— The  Priest's  Visit— Riding  in  State— The  Dongolese  Stallion— A 
Merchant's  House— The  Town— Dinner  at  the  Governor's— The  Pains  of  Royalty— 
A  Salute  to  the  American  Flag — Departure. 

I  was  sitting  at  my  tent-door  at  dusk,  after  a  luxurious  dinner 
of  fowls  and  melons,  when  we  suddenly  heard  a  great  sound  of 
drums  and  Arab  singing,  with  repeated  discharges  of  musket- 
ry. The  people  told  us  that  a  marriage  was  being  celebrated, 
and  proposed  that  I  should  go  and  take  part  in  the  festivities. 
I  therefore  partly  resumed  my  Frank  dress,  and  told  Achmet 
that  he  must  no  longer  represent  me  as  a  Turk,  since,  in  the 
conquered  countries  of  Soudan  the  ruling  race  is  even  more 
unpopular  than  the  Franks.  "  Well,  master,"  said  he  ;  "  but 
I  must  at  least  make  you  an  American  Bey,  because  some 
rank  is  necessary  in  these  countries."  He  took  a  lantern,  and 
we  set  out,  in  the  direction  of  the  noises. 

As  we  passed  the  mosque,  a  priest  informed  us  that  the 
wedding  was  at  the  Governor's  house,  and  that  the  bridegroom 
was  the  son  of  a  former  Governor's  wekeel,  or  deputy.     The 


MARRIAGE    FESTIVITIES.  20*7 

drums  guided  us  to  a  spacious  court-yard,  at  the  door  of  which 
stood  guards  in  festive  dresses.  The  court  was  lighted  by  a 
large  open  brazier  of  charcoal,  fastened  on  the  end  of  a  high 
pole,  and  by  various  colored  lanterns.  Long  benches  were 
ranged  across  the  central  space,  facing  the  Governor's  man- 
sion, and  upon  them  sat  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
listening  to  the  music.  The  Arnaout  soldiers,  in  their  pictu- 
resque dresses,  were  squatted  around  the  walls,  their  yata- 
ghans and  long  guns  gleaming  in  the  moonlight.  The  musi- 
cians sat  on  a  raised  platform,  beside  the  steps  leading  to  the 
door.  There  were  half  a  dozen  drums,  some  Arab  flutes,  and 
a  chorus  of  strong-lunged  singers,  who  chanted  a  wild,  barbaric 
epithalamium,  in  perfect  time  and  accord.  The  people  all  sa- 
luted us  respectfully,  and  invited  us  to  enter.  The  Albanian 
guards  ushered  us  into  a  lofty  room,  roofed  with  palm-logs, 
which  were  carefully  chosen  for  their  size  and  straightness. 
A  broad,  cushioned  divan  ran  around  two  sides  of  the  apart- 
ment. Here  sat  the  military  Governor,  with  his  principal  offi- 
cers, while  richly-dressed  soldiers  stood  in  waiting.  An  im- 
mense glass  lantern  gave  light  to  this  striking  picture. 

The  Governor,  who  was  called  Yagheshir  Bey  (although 
he  held  the  lower  rank  of  a  Sanjalc),  was  an  Albanian,  and 
commander  of  the  Egyptian  troops  in  Berber  and  Shendy. 
He  received  me  with  great  kindness,  and  made  room  for  me 
beside  him  on  the  divan.  He  was  a  tall,  stately  man,  about 
fifty  years  of  age  ;  his  face  was  remarkably  handsome,  with  a 
mild,  benevolent  expression,  and  he  had  the  manners  of  a  fin- 
ished gentleman.  On  my  left  hand  was  one  of  his  officers, 
also  a  tall,  fur-capped  Albanian.  I  presented  both  of  the  digni- 
taries with  cigars,  for  which  they  seemed  to  have  a  great 


208  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

relish.  Coffee  soon  appeared,  served  by  negro  slaves,  in  rich 
blue  dresses,  and  then  the  Bey's  shebook,  with  a  mouth-piece 
studded  with  diamonds,  was  filled  for  me.  The  slaves  present- 
ly returned,  with  large  glass  cups  filled  with  delicious  sherbet, 
which  they  offered  upon  gold-fringed  napkins.  Achmet,  being 
seated  on  the  other  side  of  the  Governor,  was  mistaken  by  the 
attendants  for  the  American  Bey,  notwithstanding  his  dark 
complexion,  and  served  first.  I  could  not  but  admire  the 
courtly  ease  of  his  manners,  which  belonged  rather  to  the  born 
son  of  a  Pasha,  than  to  the  poor  orphan  boy  of  Luxor,  indebt- 
ed only  to  his  honesty,  quick  sense,  and  the  kindness  of  an 
English  lady,  for  a  better  fate  than  that  of  the  common  Fel- 
lahs of  Egypt.  Yet  with  all  the  respect  which  he  knew  so 
well  how  to  command,  his  devotion  to  me,  as  a  servant,  was 
unchanged,  and  he  was  as  unremitting  in  his  attentions  as  if 
soul  and  body  had  been  given  him  expressly  for  my  use. 

The  Bey,  learning  that  I  was  bound  for  Khartoum,  sent  a 
soldier  for  the  shekh  of  the  harbor,  whom  he  commanded,  in 
my  presence,  to  procure  a  boat  for  me,  and  see  that  it  was 
ready  to  sail  the  next  day.  The  only  boats  in  this  region  are 
rough,  open  crafts,  but  the  shekh  promised  to  erect  a  tent  of 
palm-mats  on  the  poop,  to  serve  as  a  cabin.  Soon  after  he 
left  the  bridegroom  appeared,  led  by  an  attendant,  as  he  was 
totally  blind.  He  was  a  handsome  youth  of  eighteen,  and  in 
his  air  there  was  a  charming  mixture  of  the  bridegroom's  dig- 
nity and  the  boy's  bashfulness.  He  was  simply,  but  very 
tastefully  dressed,  in  a  blue  embroidered  jacket,  white  silk 
shirt,  white  shawl  fringed  with  gold,  full  white  trowsers  and 
red  slippers.  He  was  led  to  the  Governor,  kissed  his  hand, 
and  begged  him  to  ask  me  if  he  might  not  be  allowed  to  havo 


THE    BEYS    COURTESY.  209 

dinner  prepared  for  me.  The  officers  asked  me  whether  I 
knew  of  any  remedy  for  his  blindness,  but  as  I  found  that  the 
sight  had  been  destroyed  by  cataract,  I  told  them  there  was 
no  help  for  him  nearer  than  Cairo.  The  ceremonies  were  all 
over,  and  the  bride,  after  the  entire  consummation  of  the  nup- 
tials, had  gone  to  her  father's  house,  to  remain  four  days. 

The  Bey,  finding  that  I  was  not  a  merchant,  asked  Achmet 
what  rank  I  held,  and  the  latter  answered  that  in  my  own 
country  it  was  something  between  a  Bey  and  a  Pasha.  Be- 
fore we  left,  three  soldiers  were  sent  down  to  the  river,  and, 
as  I  afterwards  learned,  remained  all  night,  standing  with 
whips  over  the  poor  sailors  who  were  employed  in  removing 
the  cargo  from  the  hold  of  the  vessel,  which  the  shekh  of  the 
harbor  had  selected  for  me.  The  rais  was  threatened  with  a 
hundred  lashes,  unless  he  had  every  thing  ready  by  the  next 
day.  On  leaving,  I  gave  a  mcdjid  to  the  servants,  as  a  gra- 
tuity is  expected  on  such  occasions.  The  Bey  sent  me  one  of 
his  Arnaouts  to  carry  the  lantern,  and  insisted  on  stationing  a 
guard  near  my  tent.  Two  soldiers  came  soon  afterwards,  who 
sat  upon  my  camp-chests  and  smoked  my  tobacco  until  morn- 
ing. Many  of  the  soldiers  were  slaves,  who  received  only  fif- 
teen piastres  a  month,  beside  their  rations.  The  Arnaouts 
were  paid  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  piastres,  and  thirty-five 
piastres  additional,  provided  they  furnished  their  own  equip- 
ments. As  I  pulled  off  my  turban  and  threw  myself  on  my 
mattress,  I  involuntarily  contrasted  my  position  with  that  of 
the  previous  evening.  Then,  I  slept  in  the  midst  of  a  clus- 
ter of  Arab  huts,  a  simple  Howadji,  among  camel-drivers. 
Now,  I  was  an  American  Bey,  in  my  tent  overlooking  the 
Nile,  watched  by  a  guard  of  honor  sent  me  by  the  commander 


210  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

of  the  military  forces  in  Berber  and  Shendy.  AL  honor  to 
Ethiopian  hospitality  !  For  here  was  at  last  the  true  Ethio- 
pia, beyond  the  confines  of  Nubia;  beyond  the  ancient  Capital 
of  Queen  Candace ;  beyond,  not  only  the  first  and  second,  but 
the  eleventh  cataract  of  the  Nile,  and  not  far  distant  from 
"  the  steep  of  utmost  Axume." 

The  morning  brought  with  it  no  less  pleasant  experiences. 
Seated  at  the  door  of  my  tent,  indolently  smoking,  lulled  by 
the  murmuring  of  the  Nile  and  cheered  by  the  brightness  of 
the  green  sea  that  bathed  his  western  shore,  I  enjoyed  the  first 
complete  heff  since  leaving  Egypt.  The  temperature  was  like 
that  of  an  American  June,  and  my  pulse  beat  so  full  and  warm, 
my  whole  body  was  so  filled  with  a  sense  of  health,  of  strength 
in  repose,  of  pure  physical  satisfaction,  that  I  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  happy.  My  pleasure  was  disturbed  by  an  old 
Arab,  who  came  up  with  two  beautiful  goats,  which  1  supposed 
he  wanted  to  sell,  but  when  Achmet  returned  from  the  bazaar, 
I  found  that  they  were  a  present  from  the  Bey. 

As  I  was  sitting  at  breakfast,  an  hour  later,  I  heard  Ach- 
met talking  loudly  with  some  one  on  the  outside  of  the  tent, 
and  called  to  him  to  know  what  was  the  matter.  He  stated 
that  an  ofiicer  had  just  arrived  to  announce  the  Bey's  approach, 
but  that  he  had  ordered  him  to  go  back  and  say  that  I  was  at 
breakfast,  and  the  Bey  must  not  come  for  half  an  hour.  "You 
have  done  a  very  rude  thing,"  I  said ;  for  I  felt  annoyed  that 
the  Bey  should  receive  such  a  message,  as  coming  from  me. 
"  Don't  be  alarmed,  master,"  he  coolly  replied;  "  the  Bey  is 
now  certain  that  you  are  of  higher  rank  than  he."  Fortunate- 
ly, I  had  a  handsome  tent,  the  best  of  tobacco  and  pure  Mocha 
coffee,   so  that  I  could  comply  with  the  requisites  of  Eastern 


OFFICIAL    VISITS,  211 

hospitality  in  a  manner  worthy  of  my  supposed  rank.  The 
tent  was  put  in  order,  and  I  arranged  a  divan  on  one  side, 
made  of  my  carpet,  mattress  and  capote.  The  two  lantern- 
poles,  bound  together,  formed  a  mast,  which  I  planted  at  the 
door,  and  then  run  up  the  American  flag.  The  preparations 
were  scarcely  completed  before  the  Bey  appeared,  galloping  up 
on  a  superb,  jet-black  stallion,  with  half  a  dozen  officers  in  at- 
tendance. As  he  dismounted,  I  advanced  to  receive  him. 
According  to  Arab  etiquette,  the  highest  in  rank  enters  first, 
and  true  to  Achmet's  prediction,  the  Bey,  after  taking  my 
hand,  requested  me  to  precede  him.  I  declined,  out  of  cour- 
tesy to  him,  and  after  a  polite  controversy  on  the  subject,  he 
passed  his  arm  affectionately  around  my  waist,  and  we  went  in 
side  by  side.  Achmet  had  excellent  coffee  and  sherbet  in 
readiness,  but  the  Bey  preferred  my  cigars  to  the  shebook. 
As  he  sat  beside  me  on  the  divan,  I  thought  I  had  rarely  seen 
a  nobler  countenance.  He  had  an  unusually  clear,  large  hazel 
eye,  a  long  but  not  prominent  nose,  and  the  lines  of  fifty  years 
had  softened  and  subdued  an  expression  which  may  have  been 
fierce  and  fearless  in  his  younger  days.  He  was  from  a  village 
near  Parga,  in  Albania,  and  was  delighted  when  I  told  him 
that  not  long  previous,  I  had  sailed  past  the  shores  of  his 
native  land. 

He  had  no  sooner  taken  his  leave  than  the  Civil  Governor, 
ad  interim,  Mustapha  Kashif,  arrived,  attended  by  his  chief 
secretary,  Mahmoud  Effendi.  Mustapha  was  an  Anatolian, 
small  in  stature  and  quite  withered  and  wasted  by  the  torrid 
climate  of  Berber.  His  skin  had  a  dark  unhealthy  hue,  and 
his  eyes  a  filmy  glare,  which  I  attributed  to  other  causes  than 
the  diseased  liver  of  which  he  complained.     He  immediately 


212  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

asked  for  arakee,  and  when  I  told  him  that  it  was  bad  for  the 
liver,  said  it  was  the  only  thing  which  did  him  good.  Mah- 
inoud  Eflendi,  who  was  a  good-humored  «Turk,  made  himself 
quite  at  home.  I  showed  them  my  sketches,  with  which  they 
were  greatly  diverted.  A  remark  of  the  Governor  gratified 
me  exceedingly,  as  it  showed  that  all  the  attention  I  received 
was  paid  me,  not  on  account  of  my  supposed  rank,  but  from 
the  fact  of  my  being  the  first  American  who  had  ever  visited 
the  place.  "  I  have  been  in  this  country  twenty-four  years," 
said  he,  "  and  in  all  that  time  only  some  French  and  two  or 
three  German  and  English  travellers  have  passed  through. 
You  are  the  first  I  have  seen  from  Yenhee-Doonea.  [This 
sounds  very  much  like  Yankee-Doodledom,  but  is  in  reality  the 
Turkish  for  "  New  World."]  You  must  not  go  home  with  an 
unfavorable  account  of  us."  He  had  once,  when  in  Alexan- 
dria, visited  an  American  man-of-war,  which,  it  appeared,  had 
left  a  strong  irr.pression  upon  his  mind.  After  mentioning  the 
circumstance,  he  asked  me  how  many  vessels  there  were  in  our 
Navy.  I  had  mastered  the  Arabic  language  sufficiently  to 
know  the  necessity  of  exaggeration,  and  answered,  without  hes- 
itation, that  there  were  one  hundred.  "  Oh  no  !  "  said  Mus- 
tapha,  turning  to  Mahmoud,  the  Secretary :  "  His  Excellen- 
cy is  entirely  too  modest.  I  know  very  well  that  there  are  six 
hundred  vessels  in  the  American  Navy ! "  I  had  fallen  far 
below  the  proper  mark ;  but  Achmet  tried  to  straighten  the 
matter  by  saying  that  I  meant  one  hundred  ships-of-the-line, 
and  did  not  include  the  frigates,  sloops-of-war,  brigs  and 
corvettes. 

Before  the  Governor  had  finished  his  visit,  there  was  a  stir 
outside  of  the  tent,  and  presently  the  Chief  Mollah— the  high 


213 


priest  of  the  mosque  of  Berber — made  his  appearance.  He 
was  a  tall,  dark-skinned  Arab  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  years 
of  age,  and  wore  a  long  robe  of  the  color  sacred  to  Mahomet, 
with  a  turban  of  the  same,  under  which  the  ends  of  a  scarf  of 
white  gauze,  embroidered  with  Arabic  characters  in  gold,  hung 
on  both  sides  of  his  face.  His  manner  was  quiet  and  dignified, 
to  a  degree  which  I  never  saw  excelled  by  any  Christian  di- 
vine. He  refused  the  pipe,  but  took  coffee  and  sherbet,  hold- 
ing the  former  two  or  three  times  alternately  to  each  eye, 
while  he  murmured  a  form  of  prayer.  He  was  very  much 
delighted  with  my  sketches,  and  I  was  beginning  to  feel  in- 
terested in  his  remarks,  when  the  Governor's  servant  appear- 
ed, leading  a  splendid  chesnut  stallion,  with  a  bridle  of  scarlet 
silk  cord,  and  trappings  of  cloth  of  the  same  royal  color.  He 
was  brought  in  order  that  I  might  take  a  ride  through  the  city. 
"  But,"  said  I  to  Achmet,  "  I  cannot  go  until  this  priest  has 
left."  "You  forget  your  high  rank,  0  master!"  said  the 
cunning  dragoman ;  "  go  without  fear,  and  I  will  take  charge 
of  the  priest."  Without  more  ado,  I  took  a  hasty  leave  of  the 
niollah,  and  swung  myself  into  the  saddle.  The  animal  shot 
off  like  a  bolt  from  a  cross-bow,  leaving  the  Governor  to  follow 
in  my  wake,  on  his  favorite  gray  ass.  On  reaching  the 
mosque,  I  waited  for  him,  and  we  entered  the  bazaars  to- 
gether. He  insisted  on  my  preceding  him,  and  at  his  com- 
mand all  the  merchants  rose  and  remained  standing  until  we 
passed.  All  eyes  were  of  course  fixed  upon  me,  and  I  had 
some  difficulty  in  preserving  a  serious  and  dignified  counte- 
nance, as  I  thought  of  my  cracked  nose  and  Abyssinian  com- 
plexion. Two  of  the  Governor's  slaves  attended  me,  and  one 
of  them,  who  had  a  remarkably  insolent  and  scornful  expres- 


214  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

sion,  was  the  only  person  who  did  not  seem  impressed  by  my 
presence.  The  fellow's  face  was  disagreeable  to  me ;  he  was 
the  death's-head  at  my  banquet. 

The  stallion  was  a  noble  beast,  so  full  of  blood  and  fire 
shat  it  was  worth  a  month's  journey  through  the  Desert  to  be- 
stride him.  He  was  small,  and  his  limbs  were  scarcely  long 
enough  for  the  breadth  of  his  chest  and  the  fulness  of  his 
flanks.  He  had,  however,  the  slender  head  and  brilliant  eye 
of  the  Arab  breed,  and  his  powerful  neck  expressed  a  fine  dis- 
dain of  other  horses.  He  was  of  the  best  Dongolese  stock, 
but  resembled  in  many  points  the  famed  Anatolian  breed  of 
Asia  Minor.  He  pranced  and  caracoled  impatiently  as  I 
forced  him  to  accommodate  his  pace  to  that  of  the  ignoble  ass. 
11  Let  him  run!"  said  the  Governor,  as  we  reached  a  broad 
open  square  near  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  I  slackened  the 
rein,  and  he  dashed  away  with  a  swiftness  that  almost  stopped 
my  breath,  I  am  but  an  ordinary  rider,  but  owing  to  the 
Turkish  saddle,  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  a  firm  seat  and 
controlling  the  powerful  steed.  We  visited  the  mud  fortress 
of  Berber,  which  is  a  square  structure,  with  a  bastion  at  each 
corner,  having  embrasures  for  three  cannon,  and  the  Governor 
gave  me  to  understand  that  they  made  a  mighty  sound,  every 
time  they  were  fired.  He  then  took  me  to  the  house  of  a 
French  merchant,  with  a  name  something  like  D'Arfou.  The 
merchant  was  absent  in  Cairo,  but  a  black  slave  gave  us  ad- 
mittance. We  took  seats  in  a  cool  portico,  admired  the 
Frenchman's  handsome  gray  donkey  and  his  choice  cows,  look- 
ed out  the  windows  upon  his  garden,  planted  with  fig,  orange, 
banana  and  pomegranate  trees,  and  were  finally  served  with 
coffee,  presented  in  heavy  silver  zerfs.     A  slave  then  appear- 


A    RIDE    THROUGH    THE    CITY.  215 

ed,  bringing  his  child,  a  pretty  boy  of  two  years  old,  born  of 
an  Abyssinian  mother.  He  refused  to  be  taken  into  the  Gov- 
ernor's arms,  and  contemplated  me,  his  Frank  relative,  with 
much  more  satisfaction.  M.  D'Arfou's  house — although  the 
walls  were  mud,  the  floors  gravel  and  the  roof  palm-logs — 
was  cool,  roomy  and  pleasant ;  and  for  that  region,  where  one 
cannot  easily  have  marble  pavements  and  jasper  fountains,  was 
even  luxurious. 

We  mounted  again,  and  the  Governor  took  me  through  the 
city,  to  its  southern  extremity.  It  is  more  than  a  mile  in 
length,  and  contains  about  twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
houses  are  all  of  mud,  which,  though  unsightly  in  appearance, 
is  there  as  good  as  granite,  and  the  streets  are  broad,  clean, 
and  unmolested  by  dogs.  I  was  well  pleased  with  the  appear- 
ance of  the  place.  The  inhabitants  are  mostly  Nubians,  of  the 
different  tribes  between  Berber  and  Dongola,  mixed  with  a 
few  Ababdehs,  Bisharees,  and  other  Desert  Arabs.  Though 
scantily  dressed,  they  seemed  contented,  if  not  with  their  mas- 
ters, at  least  with  their  condition.  Among  the  crowd  that 
gathered  to  see  us,  I  recognized  Eesa,  arrayed  in  a  new,  snow- 
white  garment,  and  looking  like  a  bronze  Ganymede.  He 
gazed  at  me  wistfully,  as  if  uncertain  whether  he  should  dare 
to  speak,  but  I  hailed  him  at  once  with  :  "  Salaamat,  ya 
Eesa  !  "  and  he  replied  proudly  and  joyfully.  After  our  tour 
was  over,  the  Governor  took  me  to  his  house,  which,  after  that 
of  the  Pasha,  was  the  finest  one  in  the  place.  His  reception- 
room  was  cool,  with  a  broad  divan,  upon  which  we  stretched 
ourselves  at  ease,  sharing  the  single  pillow  between  us.  The 
attendants  were  dressing  in  an  adjoining  room,  and  presently 
appeared  in  all  the  splendor  of  snow-white  turbans  and  trow- 


216  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

sers.  I  was  presented  with  a  pipe,  and  as  a  great  treat,  a  bot- 
tle of  the  mastic  cordial  of  Scio  was  brought.  The  Governor 
insisted  on  my  drinking  three  small  glasses  of  it,  three  being 
the  fortunate  number.  At  this  juncture  Achmet  appeared,  to 
my  great  relief,  for  my  whole  stock  of  Arabic  was  exhausted. 
We  were  about  to  leave,  but  the  Governor  declared  that  it 
was  impossible.  It  would  be  disgraceful  to  him,  should  we 
not  take  dinner  in  his  house,  and  in  order  that  we  might  not 
be  delayed,  he  ordered  it  to  be  served  at  once.  I  was  willing 
enough  to  make  use  of  this  opportunity  of  partaking  of  an 
Arab  dinner.  First,  a  slave  appeared,  and  gave  each  of  us  a 
napkin,  which  we  spread  over  our  knees.  He  was  followed  by 
another,  who  bore  a  brass  ewer,  and  a  pitcher  from  which  he 
poured  water  over  our  hands.  A  small  stand  upholding  a 
large  circular  piece  of  tin,  was  then  placed  before  us.  A  cov- 
ered dish  stood  in  the  centre,  and  a  rampart  of  thin  wheaten 
cakes,  resembling  Mexican  tortillas,  adorned  the  circumference. 
The  cover  was  removed,  disclosing  a  thick  soup,  with  balls  of 
dough  and  meat.  We  took  the  ebony  spoons,  and  now  behold 
the  Governor,  Achmet  and  I  dipping  fraternally  into  the  same 
bowl,  and  politely  stirring  the  choice  lumps  into  each  other's 
spoons.  Mustapha  was  in  the  most  hilarious  humor,  but  his 
four  dark  attendants  stood  before  us  as  solemn  as  Death.  I 
thought  then,  and  still  think,  that  they  hated  him  cordially. 
The  soup  was  followed  by  a  dish  of  kibdbs,  or  small  pieces  of 
meat,  fried  in  grease.  These  we  picked  out  with  our  fingers, 
and  then,  tearing  the  wheat  cakes  into  slices,  sopped  up  the 
sauce.  About  ten  different  compounds  of  meat  and  vegetables 
followed,  each  unlike  any  thing  I  ever  tasted  before,  but  all 
quite  palatable.     The  only  articles  I  was  able  to  detect  in  the 


DINNER    WITH    THE    GOVERNOR.  217 

whole  dinner,  were  mutton-cutlets,  egg-plants  and  sour  milk. 
Each  dish  was  brought  on  separately,  and  we  all  three  ate 
therefrom,  either  with  spoons  or  fingers.  When  the  repast  was 
finished,  water  was  brought  again,  and  we  washed  our  hands 
and  quietly  awaited  the  pipes  and  coffee.  When  we  arose  to 
leave,  Achmet  was  about  to  give  the  customary  medjid  to  the 
servants,  but  the  Governor  prevented  him.  Nevertheless,  he 
found  an  opportunity  as  I  was  mounting,  to  slip  it  into  the 
hand  of  the  scornful  slave,  who  took  it  without  relaxing  the 
scowl  upon  his  features.  I  pranced  back  to  my  tent  upon  the 
chestnut  stallion,  from  which  I  parted  with  more  regret  than 
from  its  owner. 

By  this  time,  every  thing  was  in  readiness  for  my  depar- 
ture. The  sailors,  who  had  worked  all  night  with  the  whips 
of  the  Albanian  soldiers  hung  over  their  backs  (unknown  to 
me,  or  I  should  not  have  permitted  it),  had  brought  the  vessel 
to  the  bank  below  my  tent,  and  the  Bey  had  sent  me  his  prom- 
ised letter  to  the  Governor  of  Shendy.  The  pleasures  of  roy- 
alty were  now  over,  and  I  had  to  deal  with  some  of  its  pains. 
All  the  officers  and  servants  who  had  been  employed  for  my 
benefit  expected  backsheesh,  and  every  beggar  in  the  place 
came  to  taste  the  bounty  of  the  foreign  king.  When  Achmet 
went  to  the  bazaars  to  purchase  a  few  necessaries,  he  over- 
heard the  people  saying  to  one  another,  "  That  is  the  inter- 
preter of  the  strange  king,"  and  many  of  them  rose  and  re- 
mained standing  until  he  had  passed.  Ali,  who  had  spent  the 
whole  day  apparently  in  hunting  for  chickens  and  pigeons,  but 
Ebli  s  knew  for  what  in  reality,  was  assailed  on  all  sides  with 
inquiries  :  "  Who  is  this  that  has  come  among  us  ?  What 
high  rank  does  he  possess,  that  he  receives  such  honor?" 
10 


218  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Ali,  who  had  known  me  merely  as  a  Howadji,  was  somewhat 
perplexed  how  to  explain  the  matter,  but  got  out  of  his  diffi- 
culty by  declaring  that  I  was  the  son  of  the  great  king  of  all 
the  Franks. 

I  shall  not  soon  forget  that  noble  old  Albanian,  Yagheshir 
Bey.  Achmet,  who  paid  him  a  parting  visit,  and  was  received 
with  the  greatest  kindness,  conceived  a  strong  affection  for 
him.  The  Bey,  on  learning  that  I  was  ready  to  leave,  sent 
word  to  me  that  he  would  bring  a  company  of  his  Arnaouts 
down  to  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  and  salute  my  flag.  "It  is  the 
first  time  that  flag  has  been  seen  here,"  said  he  to  Achmet, 
"  and  I  must  have  it  properly  honored."  And  truly  enough, 
when  we  were  all  embarked,  and  I  had  given  the  stars  and 
stripes  to  the  Ethiopian  winds,  a  company  of  about  fifty  sol- 
diers ranged  themselves  along  the  high  bank,  and  saluted  the 
flag  with  a  dozen  rattling  volleys. 

As  I  sailed  away  I  returned  the  salute  with  my  pistols, 
and  the  soldiers  fired  a  parting  volley  after  me  for  good  luck 
on  the  voyage,  but  so  recklessly  that  I  heard  the  sharp  whistle 
of  the  bullets  quite  close  to  the  vessel.  I  felt  more  grateful  to 
the  Bey  for  this  courtesy  than  for  his  kindness  to  myself. 
But  Berber  was  soon  left  behind ;  for  the  wind  was  fair,  and 
bore  me  southward,  deeper  into  Africa. 


FORTUNATE    TRAVEL.  219 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE       ETHIOPIAN      NILE. 

Fortunate  Travel— The  America— Ethiopian  Scenery— The  Atbara  River—  Damer—  A 
Melon  Patch — Agriculture — The  Inhabitants — Change  of  Scenery — The  First  Hip- 
popotamus— Crocodiles — Effect  of  My  Map — The  Ea'is  and  Sailors — Arabs  in  Ethio- 
pia—Ornamental Scars— Beshir— The  Slave  Bakhita— We  Approach  Meroe. 

"  Fair  is  that  land  as  evening  skies, 
And  cool — though  in  the  depth  it  lies 
Of  burning  Africa." — Wordsworth. 

The  voyage  from  Berber  to  Khartoum  was  another  link  in  my 
chain  of  fortunate  travel.  The  Ethiopian  Nile  seemed  to  me 
more  beautiful  than  the  Egyptian ;  at  least,  the  vegetation  was 
richer,  the  air  milder  and  sweeter,  the  water  purer,  and  to 
crown  all,  the  north-wind  unfailing.  Day  and  night  there  was 
a  fresh,  steady  breeze,  carrying  us  smoothly  against  the  cur- 
rent, at  the  precise  rate  of  speed  which  is  most  pleasant  in  a 
sailing  craft — three  to  four  miles  an  hour.  The  temperature 
was  that  of  an  American  June,  the  nights  deliciously  mild  and 
sweet,  and  the  full  moon  shone  with  a  splendor  unknown  in 
northern  latitudes.  I  was  in  perfect  health  of  body,  and  suf- 
fered no  apprehension  or  anxiety  for  the  future  to  disturb  my 
happy  frame  of  mind. 

El  Mekheyref  looked  very  picturesque  in  the  soft  clear 


220  JOURNEY   TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

light  of  the  last  afternoon  hour,  as  I  sailed  away  from  it.  The 
Bey's  mansion  and  the  mosque  rose  conspicuously  above  the 
long  lines  of  clay  walls,  and  groups  of  luxuriant  date-trees  in 
the  gardens  supplied  the  place  of  minarets  and  spires.  Both 
shores,  above  the  city,  were  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
I  passed  many  thriving  villages  before  dusk.  Even  under  the 
moon,  the  corn-fields  on  either  hand  were  green  and  bright.  I 
was  installed  in  a  temporary  cabin,  formed  of  my  tent-canvas, 
stretched  over  a  frame  of  palm-sticks,  erected  on  the  narrow 
poop-deck.  Achmet  and  Ali  took  possession  of  the  hold,  which 
they  occupied  as  kitchen  and  store-room.  The  rais,  sailors, 
and  the  two  beautiful  sheep  which  the  Bey  gave  me,  were  group- 
ed on  the  forecastle.  On  this  first  evening,  the  men,  fatigued 
by  their  extra  labors  on  my  account,  were  silent,  and  I  was 
left  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  scene.  The  waves  rippled 
pleasantly  against  the  prow  of  the  America  ;  the  frogs  and 
crickets  kept  up  a  concert  along  the  shore,  and  the  zikzalc,  or 
crocodile-bird,  uttered  his  sharp,  twittering  note  at  intervals. 
Hours  passed  thus,  before  I  was  willing  to  close  my  eyes. 

The  landscapes  next  morning  were  still  more  beautiful. 
The  Nile  was  as  broad  as  in  Lower  Egypt,  flowing  between 
banks  of  the  most  brilliant  green.  Long  groves  of  palms  be- 
hind the  shore,  shut  out  from  view  the  desert  tracts  beyond, 
and  my  voyage  all  day  was  a  panorama  of  the  richest  summer 
scenery.  Early  in  the  forenoon  I  passed  the  mouth  of  the  At- 
bara,  the  ancient  Astaboras,  and  the  first  tributary  stream 
which  the  traveller  meets  on  his  journey  from  the  Mediterra- 
nean. Its  breadth  is  about  one-third  that  of  the  main  river, 
but  the  volume  of  water  must  be  in  a  much  smaller  proportion. 
The  water  is  a  clear,  bright  green,  and  its  junction  with  the 


THE    ATBARA    RIVER.  221 

darker  Nile  is  distinctly  marked.  I  could  look  up  the  Atbara 
for  about  a  mile,  to  where  it  curved  out  of  sight  between  high 
green  banks  covered  with  flowering  mimosas.  It  was  a  charm- 
ing piece  of  river  scenery,  and  I  longed  to  follow  the  stream 
upward  through  the  wild  domains  of  the  Hallengas  and  Ha- 
dendoas,  through  the  forests  and  jungles  of  Takka  and  Schan- 
galla,  to  where,  an  impetuous  torrent,  it  foams  through  the 
Alpine  highlands  of  Samen,  under  the  eternal  snows  of  Abba- 
Jaret  and  Amba-Hai.  In  Abyssinia  it  bears  the  name  of  Ta- 
cazze,  but  afterwards  through  the  greater  part  of  its  course,  is 
called  the  Atbara  (and  the  country  it  waters,  Dar  Atbara),  ex- 
cept at  its  junction  with  the  Nile,  where  the  natives  name  it 
El-bahr  Mogran. 

Two  or  three  hours  later  we  reached  the  large  town  of  Da- 
rner, which  gives  its  name  to  the  point  of  land  between  the 
two  rivers.  It  is  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  is  a 
collection  of  mud  buildings,  scattered  through  a  grove  of  sont 
trees.  My  sailors  stopped  to  get  some  mats,  and  I  climbed 
the  bank  to  look  at  the  place,  but  there  was  nothing  in  the 
view  to  tempt  me  to  enter.  During  the  day  we  stopped  at  an 
island  in  the  river,  to  buy  some  vegetables.  Two  men  were 
guarding  a  large  patch  of  ripe  melons  and  cucumbers,  behind 
which  extended  fields  of  dourra,  divided  by  hedges  of  a  kind 
of  shrub  cypress,  all  overgrown  with  a  purple  convolvulus  in 
flower,  and  a  wild  gourd-vine,  with  bright  yellow  blossoms. 
In  wandering  through  the  luxuriant  mazes  of  vegetation,  I 
came  upon  a  dwelling  of  the  natives — a  nest  or  arbor,  scooped 
out  of  a  thick  clump  of  shrubs,  and  covered  with  dry  branches. 
It  resembled  the  milpas,  or  brush-huts  of  the  Mexican  ranche- 
ros.     The  only  furniture  was  a  frame  of  palm-sticks,  serving 


222  JOURNEY   TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

as  a  divan,  and  four  stones,  arranged  so  as  to  form  a  fire-place 
On  returning  to  the  shore,  I  found  Achmet  in  dispute  with 
the  two  men.  He  had  taken  some  melons,  for  which  he  offer- 
ed them  two  and  a  half  piastres.  They  demanded  more,  but 
as  he  had  purchased  melons  for  less  in  El  Mekheyref,  he  re- 
fused, and  giving  them  the  money,  took  the  melons  perforce. 
"  Well,"  said  they,  "  you  are  our  masters,  and  we  must  sub- 
mit;" but  they  would  sell  no  more  to  my  sailors.  The  latter, 
however,  procured  a  bowl  of  treacle,  made  of  dates,  and  some 
sour  milk,  at  another  hut,  and  were  contented  therewith.  The 
bean-fields  along  the  shore  had  just  been  trampled  down  by  a. 
hippopotamus,  whose  huge  foot-prints  we  saw  in  the  soft  mud 
near  the  water. 

All  day,  we  sailed  between  shores  of  vegetation,  of  the 
ripest  green.  Both  banks  of  the  river,  through  this  region, 
are  studded  with  water-wheels,  whose  creaking  ceases  not  by 
day  nor  by  night.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  the  strings  of  jars 
ascending  and  descending,  and  to  hear  the  cool  plashing  of  the 
precious  blood  of  the  Nile,  as  it  poured  into  the  branching 
veins  which  are  the  life  of  that  teeming  soil.  The  wheels 
were  turned  by  oxen,  driven  by  Dinka  slaves,  who  sang  vo- 
ciferous melodies  the  while,  and  the  water  was  conveyed  to 
fields  distant  from  the  river  in  the  hollow  trunks  of  the  doum- 
tree. 

There,  where  I  expected  to  sail  through  a  wilderness,  I 
found  a  garden.  Ethiopia  might  become,  in  other  hands,  the 
richest  and  most  productive  part  of  Africa.  The  people  are 
industrious  and  peaceable,  and  deserve  better  masters.  Their 
dread  of  the  Turks  is  extreme,  and  so  is  their  hatred.  I  stop- 
ped one  evening  at  a  little  village  on  the  western  bank      The 


SCENERY    AND    INHABITANTS.  223 

sailors  were  sent  to  the  houses  to  procure  fowls  and  eggs,  and 
after  a  long  time  two  men  appeared,  bringing,  as  they  said,  the 
only  chicken  in  the  place.  They  came  up  slowly,  stooped  and 
touched  the  ground,  and  then  laid  their  hands  on  their  heads, 
signifying  that  they  were  as  dust  before  my  feet.  Achmet 
paid  them  the  thirty  paras  they  demanded,  and  when  they  saw 
that  the  supposed  Turks  had  no  disposition  to  cheat  them,  they 
went  back  and  brought  more  fowls.  Travellers  who  go  by  the 
land  routes  give  the  people  an  excellent  character  for  hospital- 
ity. I  was  informed  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  buy  any- 
thing, even  when  double  the  value  of  the  article  is  tendered, 
but  by  asking  for  it  as  a  favor,  they  will  cheerfully  give  what- 
ever they  have. 

When  I  crept  out  of  my  tent  on  the  third  morning,  the  fea- 
tures of  the  scenery  were  somewhat  changed.  A  blue  chain 
of  hills,  which  we  had  passed  in  the  night,  lay  behind  us,  and 
a  long,  graceful  mountain  range  rose  on  the  right,  broken  by  a 
pass  which  was  cut  through  it  at  right  angles  to  its  course. 
The  mountains  retreated  out  of  my  horizon  during  the  fore- 
noon, but  in  the  afternoon  again  approached  nearly  to  the 
water's  edge,  on  the  eastern  bank.  They  were  of  a  dark-red 
color,  exhibiting  a  broken,  mound-like  formation.  We  passed 
several  islands  during  the  day — beds  of  glorious  vegetation. 
The  sakias  were  turning  at  intervals  of  a  hundred  yards  or 
less,  and  the  rustling  fields  of  wheat  and  dourra  seemed  burst- 
ing with  the  fulness  of  their  juices.  I  now  began  to  notice 
that  warm  vermilion  tinge  of  the  clouds,  which  is  frequently 
exhibited  near  the  Equator,  but  is  nowhere  so  striking  as  in 
Central  Africa.  Lying  heavily  along  the  horizon,  in  the  warm 
hours  of  the  day,  they  appeared  to  glow  with  a  dead,  smould- 


224  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

ering  fire,  like  brands  which  are  soft  white  ashes  on  the  out- 
side, but  living  coals  within. 

On  the  same  day  I  saw  the  first  hippopotamus.  The  men 
discerned  him  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  as  he  came  up  to 
breathe,  and  called  my  attention  to  him.  Our  vessel  was  run 
towards  him,  and  the  sailors  shouted,  to  draw  his  attention : 
"  How  is  your  wife,  old  boy  ?"  "  Is  your  son  married  yet?" 
and  other  like  exclamations.  They  insisted  upon  it  that  his 
curiosity  would  be  excited  by  this  means,  and  he  would  allow 
us  to  approach.  I  saw  him  at  last  within  a  hundred  yards,  but 
only  the  enormous  head,  which  was  more  than  three  feet  in 
breadth  across  the  ears.  He  raised  it  with  a  tremendous  snort, 
opening  his  huge  mouth  at  the  same  time,  and  I  thought  I  had 
never  seen  a  more  frightful-looking  monster.  He  came  up  in 
our  wake,  after  we  had  passed,  and  followed  us  for  some  time. 
Directly  afterwards  we  spied  five  crocodiles  on  a  sand-bank. 
One  of  them  was  of  a  grayish-yellow  color,  and  upward  of 
twenty  feet  in  length.  We  approached  quietly  to  within  a  few 
yards  of  them,  when  my  men  raised  their  poles  and  shouted. 
The  beasts  started  from  their  sleep  and  dashed  quickly  into 
the  water,  the  big  yellow  one  striking  so  violently  against  our 
hull,  that  I  am  sure  he  went  off  with  a  head-ache.  The  natives 
have  many  superstitions  concerning  the  hippopotamus,  and  re- 
lated to  me  some  astonishing  examples  of  his  cunning  and 
sagacity.  Among  others,  they  asserted  that  an  Arab  woman, 
at  Abou-Hammed,  went  down  to  the  river  to  wash  some  clothes, 
once  upon  a  time.  She  laid  the  garments  upon  some  smooth 
stones,  and  was  engaged  in  trampling  them  with  her  feet,  when 
a  huge  hippopotamus  thrust  his  head  out  of  the  river,  and  after 
watching  her  for  some  time,  made  for  the  shore.     The  woman 


MY    MAP.  225 

fled  in  terror,  leaving  the  clothes  behind  her ;  whereupon  the 
beast  immediately  took  her  place,  and  pounded  away  so  vig- 
orously with  his  feet,  that  in  a  short  time  there  was  not  left 
a  fragment  as  big  as  your  hand. 

On  making  inquiries  for  the  ruins  of  Meroe,  which  we  were 
then  approaching,  the  rais  only  knew  that  there  were  some 
"beioot  hadeem"  (ancient  houses)  near  the  village  of  Bcdjer- 
owiyeh,  which  we  would  probably  reach  that  night.  As  I  found 
on  my  map  a  name  which  nearly  corresponded  to  that  of  the 
village,  I  had  no  doubt  that  this  was  Meroe,  and  gave  orders 
that  the  boat  should  halt  until  the  next  day.  The  rais  was 
greatly  surprised  at  my  knowing  the  names  of  all  the  towns 
along  the  river,  seeing  that  I  had  never  been  there  before.  I 
showed  him  my  map,  and  told  him  that  I  knew  from  it,  the 
name  of  every  mountain,  every  village,  and  every  river,  from 
Cairo  to  Abyssinia.  The  men  crowded  around  and  inspected 
it  with  the  utmost  astonishment,  and  when  I  pointed  out  to 
them  the  location  of  Mecca,  and  read  them  the  names  of  all 
the  villages  as  far  as  Khartoum,  they  regarded  it  with  an  ex- 
pression of  reverential  awe.  "  Wallah  ! "  exclaimed  the  rais : 
"  this  is  truly  a  wonderful  Frank  ! " 

My  rais,  whose  name  was  Bakhid,  belonged,  with  his  men, 
to  the  Nubian  tribe  of  Mahass,  below  Dongola.  They  were 
tall,  well-formed  men,  with  straight  features  and  high  cheek- 
bones, but  the  lips  were  thicker  than  those  of  the  Arab  tribes 
of  Ethiopia.  The  latter  are  of  almost  pure  Shemitic  blood, 
and  are  descended  from  families  which  emigrated  into  Africa 
from  the  Hedjaz,  seven  or  eight  centuries  ago.  This  accounts 
for  the  prevalence  and  purity  of  the  Arab  language  in  these 
regions.  The  descendants  of  the  Djaaleyn,  or  tribe  of  Beni 
10* 


226  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Koreish,  of  Yemen,  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  country  of  the 
Atbara,  and  there  are  those  in  Ethiopia,  who  claim  to  be  de- 
scendants from  the  line  of  the  Abbasides  and  the  Ommiades. 
There  has  been  very  little  intermixture  with  the  negro  races 
beyond  Sennaar,  who  are  looked  upon  as  little  better  than  wild 
beasts.  The  Arabic  language  is  spoken  from  the  Red  Sea  to 
the  borders  of  Dar-Fur  and  Bornou,  and  according  to  Burck- 
hardt,  the  prevalent  idioms  are  those  of  Hedjaz,  in  Arabia. 
The  distinction  between  the  descendants  of  the  old  Arab  stock, 
and  those  who,  like  the  Ababdehs  and  Bisharees,  belong  to  the 
native  African  races,  is  obvious  to  the  most  careless  observer. 
The  latter,  however,  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Negro 
race,  from  which  they  differ  still  more  widely. 

Rai's  Bakhid  had  with  him  a  son  named  Ibrahim — a  boy 
of  twelve.  His  head  was  shaven  so  as  to  leave  a  circular  tuft 
of  hair  on  the  crown ;  large  silver  rings  hung  from  his  ears, 
and  each  cheek  was  adorned  with  four  broad  scars: — three  hori- 
zontal, and  one  vertical, — which  were  produced  by  gashing  the 
skin  with  a  knife,  and  then  raising  the  flesh  so  as  to  prevent 
the  edges  from  uniting.  All  the  Nubian  tribes  are  scarred  in 
the  same  way,  frequently  upon  the  breast  and  back  as  well  as 
the  face,  and  the  number  and  position  of  the  marks  is  generally 
a  token  of  the  particular  tribe  to  which  the  person  belongs. 
The  slaves  brought  from  the  mountains  of  Fazogl,  on  the 
Abyssinian  frontier,  have  a  still  greater  profusion  of  these  bar- 
baric ornaments.  I  had  another  Mahassee  on  board — a  fellow 
of  five  and  twenty,  named  Beshir,  who  kept  all  the  others  in  a 
continual  laugh  with  his  droll  sayings.  He  spoke  the  dialect 
of  his  tribe,  not  a  word  of  which  I  could  understand,  but  his 
face  and  voice  were  so  comical,  that  I  laughed  involuntarily, 


THE    SLAVE    BAKIIITA.  227 

whenever  he  spoke.  He  was  a  graceless  fellow,  given  to  all 
sorts  of  debauchery,  and  was  never  so  happy  as  when  he  could 
drink  his  fill  of  om  bilbil,  (the  "  mother  of  nightingales,")  as 
the  beer  of  the  country  is  called,  because  he  who  drinks  it, 
sings. 

Another  curious  character  was  an  old  woman  named  Bak- 
hita,  a  slave  of  the  owner  of  the  vessel,  who  acted  as  cook  for 
the  sailors.  She  sat  squatted  on  the  forward  deck  all  day, 
hideously  and  nakedly  ugly,  but  performed  her  duties  so  regu- 
larly and  with  such  a  contented  face,  laughing  heartily  at  all 
the  jokes  which  the  men  made  at  her  expense,  that  I  soon  learn- 
ed to  tolerate  her  presence,  which  was  at  first  disgusting.  She 
was  a  native  of  the  mountains  of  Dar-Fur,  but  had  been  captur- 
ed by  the  slave-hunters  when  a  child.  She  was  in  Shendy  on 
the  night  when  Ismail  Pasha  and  his  soldiers  were  burned  to 
death  by  Mek  Nemr,  in  the  year  1822.  But  with  all  my  ques- 
tioning, she  could  give  no  account  of  the  scene,  and  it  was  a 
marvel  that  she  remembered  it  at  all.  Life  was  to  her  a 
blank  page,  and  what  one  day  might  write  upon  it,  the  next 
day  erased.  She  sat  from  morning  till  night,  grinding  the 
dourra  between  two  flat  stones,  precisely  as  the  Mexican  women 
grind  their  maize,  occasionally  rubbing  her  hands  upon  her 
woolly  head  to  rid  them  of  the  paste.  Her  only  trouble  was 
my  white  sheep,  which,  in  its  search  after  food,  would  deliber- 
ately seize  her  mealy  top-knots  and  begin  to  chew  them.  Her 
yells,  at  such  times,  were  the  signal  for  a  fresh  attack  of  Be- 
shir's  drollery.  Yet  old,  and  ugly,  and  imbruted  as  she  was,  no 
Frankish  belle,  whose  bloom  is  beginning  to  wane,  could  have 
been  more  sensitive  about  her  age.  I  was  delighted  to  find 
this  touch  of  vanity  in  her ;  it  was  the  only  trace  of  feminine 


228  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

nature  she  ever  betrayed.  Beshir's  declaration  that  she  was  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years  old,  roused  her  to  fury.  She  rose  up, 
turned  to  me  with  a  face  so  hideously  distorted  that  I  could 
not  laugh  at  it,  and  yelled  out :  "  Look  at  me,  0  my  lord  !  and 
tell  me  if  this  son  of  a  dog  speaks  the  truth ! "  "He  lies, 
Bakhita,"  I  answered ;  "  I  should  say  that  you  were  not  more 
than  thirty  years  old."  The  fury  of  her  face  was  instantly  re- 
placed by  a  simper  of  vanity  which  made  it  even  more  hideous; 
but  from  that  time  Bakhita  considered  me  as  her  friend.  Be- 
shir,  who  never  missed  an  opportunity  of  hailing  the  people  on 
shore,  called  out  one  day  to  a  damsel  who  came  down  to  the 
river  for  water  :  "  Here  is  your  sister  on  board."  The  ami- 
able maiden,  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  comparison,  rejoined  ; 
"  Am  I  sister  to  a  hyena  ?  " — a  compliment,  over  which  the 
old  woman  chuckled  for  a  long  time. 

The  wind  fell  at  sunset,  when  we  were  about  seven  miles 
from  Meroe,  and  while  the  sailors  moored  the  boat  to  the  shore 
and  built  a  fire  to  cook  the  head  and  ribs  of  my  sheep,  I  climb- 
ed the  bank,  to  get  a  sight  of  the  country.  As  far  as  I  could 
see,  the  soil  was  cultivated,  principally  with  cotton  and  dourra. 
The  cotton  was  both  in  flower  and  pod,  and  was  of  excellent 
quality.  Achmet  and  I  visited  a  water-mill,  under  the  charge 
of  a  Dinka  slave,  who  came  up  humbly  and  kissed  our  hands. 
We  commanded  him  to  go  on  with  his  work,  when  he  took  his 
seat  on  the  beam  of  the  wheel  and  drove  his  cows  around,  to 
the  accompaniment  of  a  loud,  shrill  song,  which,  at  a  distance 
harmonized  strangely  with  the  cry  of  the  jackal,  in  the  deserts 
away  beyond  the  river. 


MEROE.  229 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE       RUINS       OP       MEROE. 

Arrival  at  Bedjerowiyeh— The  Ruins  of  Merot — Walk  Across  the  Plain— The  Pyra- 
mids— Character  of  their  Masonry — The  lower  and  Vault — Finding  of  the  Trea- 
sure—The Second  Group— More  Ruins— Site  of  the  City— Number  of  the  Pyramids 
—The  Antiquity  of  Meroe— Ethiopian  and  Egyptian  Civilization— The  Caucasian 
Race — Reflections. 

A  light  breeze  sprang  up  soon  after  midnight,  and  when  I 
arose,  at  sunrise,  we  were  approaching  the  village  of  Bedjer- 
owiyeh. By  the  time  coffee  was  ready,  the  America  was  moor- 
ed at  the  landing-place,  and  Rais  Bakhid,  who  was  familiar 
with  all  the  localities,  stood  in  waiting.  Achmet,  with  Beshir 
and  another  sailor,  also  accompanied  me.  We  crossed  some 
fields  of  cotton  and  dookhn  to  the  village,  which  was  a  cluster 
of  tolculs,  or  circular  huts  of  mud  and  sticks,  in  a  grove  of 
sont  trees.  The  rais  tried  to  procure  a  donkey  for  me,  but  the 
people,  who  took  me  for  an  Egyptian,  and  appeared  very  timo- 
rous and  humble,  denied  having  any,  although  I  saw  two  half- 
starved  beasts  among  the  trees.  We  therefore  set  out  on  foot, 
toward  a  range  of  mountains,  about  five  miles  distant. 

The  discovery  of  the  ruins  of  Meroe  is  of  comparatively 
recent  date,  and  it  is  only  within  a  very  short  time  that  their 


200  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

true  character  and  place  in  Ethiopian  history  have  been  satis- 
factorily established.  Hoskins,  Cailliaud  and  Ferlini  were  the 
first  to  direct  the  attention  of  antiquarians  to  this  quarter,  and 
the  later  and  more  complete  researches  of  Lepsius  leave  room 
for  little  more  to  be  discovered  concerning  them.  It  is  re- 
markable that  both  Bruce  and  Burckhardt,  who  travelled  by 
land  from  Berber  to  Shendy,  failed  to  see  the  ruins,  which 
must  have  been  visible  from  the  road  they  followed.  The  for- 
mer, in  fact,  speaks  of  the  broken  pedestals,  carved  stones  and 
pottery  which  are  scattered  over  the  plain,  and  sagely  says : 
"  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  risking  a  guess  that  this  is  the  an- 
cient  city  of  Meroe" — but  he  does  not  mention  the  groups  of 
pyramids  which  are  so  conspicuous  a  feature  in  the  landscape. 

Our  path  led  over  a  plain  covered  with  thorny  shrubs  at 
first,  but  afterwards  hard  black  gravel,  and  we  had  not  gone 
more  than  a  mile  before  the  rai's  pointed  out  the  pyramids  of 
the  ancient  Ethiopian  city.  I  knew  it  only  from  its  mention 
in  history,  and  had  never  read  any  description  of  its  remains; 
consequently  I  was  surprised  to  see  before  me,  in  the  vapory 
morning  air,  what  appeared  to  be  the  ruins  of  pylse  and  porti- 
cos, as  grand  and  lofty  as  those  of  Karnak.  Rising  between 
us  and  the  mountains,  they  had  an  imposing  effect,  and  I  ap- 
proached them  with  excited  anticipations.  As  we  advanced, 
however,  and  the  morning  vapors  melted  away,  I  found  that 
they  derived  much  of  their  apparent  height  from  the  hill  upon 
which  they  are  built,  and  that,  instead  of  being  the  shattered 
parts  of  one  immense  temple,  they  were  a  group  of  separate 
pyramids,  standing  amid  the  ruins  of  others  which  have  been 
completely  destroyed. 

We  reached  them  after  a  walk  of  about  four  miles.     They 


THE    PYRAMIDS.  231 

stand  upjn  a  narrow,  crescent-shaped  hill,  which  rises  forty  or 
fifty  feet  from  the  plain,  presenting  its  convex  front  to  the 
Nile,  while  toward  the  east  its  hollow  curve  embraces  a  small 
valley  lying  between  it  and  the  mountain  range.  Its  ridge  is 
crowned  with  a  long  line  of  pyramids,  standing  so  close  to  each 
other  that  their  bases  almost  meet,  but  presenting  no  regular 
plan  or  association,  except  in  the  direction  of  their  faces.  None 
of  them  retains  its  apex,  and  they  are  all  more  or  less  ruined, 
though  two  are  perfect  to  within  a  few  courses  of  the  top.  I 
climbed  one  of  the  highest,  from  which  I  could  overlook  the 
whole  group,  as  well  as  another  cluster,  which  crowned  the 
summit  of  a  low  ridge  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  opposite. 
Of  those  among  which  I  stood,  there  were  sixteen,  in  different 
degrees  of  ruin,  besides  the  shapeless  stone-heaps  of  many 
more.  They  are  all  built  of  fine  red  sandstone,  in  regular 
courses  of  masonry,  the  spaces  of  which  are  not  filled,  or  cased, 
as  in  the  Egyptian  pyramids,  except  at  the  corners,  which  are 
covered  with  a  narrow  hem  or  moulding,  in  order  to  give  a 
smooth  outline.  The  stones  are  about  eighteen  inches  high, 
and  the  recession  of  each  course  varies  from  two  tc  four  inches, 
so  that  the  height  of  the  structure  is  always  much  greater  than 
the  breadth  of  the  base.  A  peculiarity  of  these  pyramids  is, 
that  the  sides  are  not  straight  but  curved  lines,  of  different 
degrees  of  convexity,  and  the  breadth  of  the  courses  of  stone 
is  adjusted  with  the  utmost  nicety,  so  as  to  produce  this  form. 
They  are  small,  compared  with  the  enormous  piles  of  Gizeh 
and  Dashoor,  but  singularly  graceful  and  elegant  in  appearance. 
Not  one  of  the  group  is  more  than  seventy  feet  in  height,  nor 
when  complete  could  have  exceeded  one  hundred. 

All  or  nearly  all  have  a  small  chamber  attached  to  the  ex- 


232  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

terior,  exactly  against  the  centre  of  their  eastern  sides,  but  no 
passage  leading  into  the  interior ;  and  from  the  traces  of  Dr. 
Lepsius's  labors,  by  which  I  plainly  saw  that  he  had  attempt- 
ed in  vain  to  find  an  entrance,  it  is  evident  that  they  are  mere- 
ly solid  piles  of  masonry,  and  that,  if  they  were  intended  as 
tombs,  the  bodies  were  deposited  in  the  outer  chambers.  Some 
of  these  chambers  are  entire,  except  the  roof,  and  their  walls 
are  profusely  sculptured  with  hieroglyphics,  somewhat  blurred 
and  worn  down,  from  the  effect  of  the  summer  rains.  Their 
entrances  resembled  the  doorways  of  temples,  on  a  miniature 
scale,  and  the  central  stones  of  two  of  them  were  sculptured 
with  the  sacred  winged  globe.  I  saw  on  the  jamb  of  another 
a  figure  of  the  god  Horus.  The  chambers  were  quite  small, 
and  not  high  enough  to  allow  me  to  stand  upright.  The  sculp- 
tures have  a  very  different  character  from  those  in  the  tombs 
of  Thebes,  and  their  resemblance  to  those  of  the  Ptolemaic 
period  was  evident  at  the  first  glance.  The  only  cartouches  of 
monarchs  which  I  found  were  so  obliterated  that  I  could  not 
identify  them,  but  the  figure  of  one  of  the  kings,  grasping  in 
one  hand  the  hair  of  a  group  of  captives,  while  with  the  other 
he  lifts  a  sword  to  slay  them,  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to 
that  of  Ptolemy  Euergetes,  on  the  pylon  of  the  temple  at 
Edfou.  Many  of  the  stones  in  the  vast  heaps  which  lie  scat- 
tered over  the  hills,  are  covered  with  sculptures.  I  found  on 
some  the  winged  globe  and  scarabeiis,  while  others  retained  the 
scroll  or  fillet  which  usually  covers  the  sloping  corners  of  a 
pylon.  On  the  northern  part  of  the  hill  I  found  several  blocks 
of  limestone,  which  exhibited  a  procession  of  sculptured  figures 
brilliantly  colored. 

The  last  structure  on  the  southern  extremity  of  the  hill  ie 


THE    FINDING    OF    THE    TREASURE.  233 

rather  a  tower  than  a  pyramid,  consisting  of  a  high  base  or 
foundation,  upon  which  is  raised  a  square  building,  the  corners 
presenting  a  very  slight  slope  towards  the  top,  which  is  cover- 
ed with  ruins,  indicating  that  there  was  originally  another  and 
narrower  story  upon  it.  When  complete,  it  must  have  borne 
considerable  resemblance  to  the  Assyrian  towers,  the  remains 
of  which  are  found  at  Nineveh.  On  this  part  of  the  hill  there 
are  many  small  detached  chambers,  all  facing  the  east,  and  the 
remains  of  a  large  building.  Here  Lepsius  appears  to  have 
expended  most  of  his  labors,  and  the  heaps  of  stone  and  rub- 
bish he  has  left  behind  him  prevent  one  from  getting  a  very 
clear  idea  of  the  original  disposition  of  the  buildings.  He  has 
quarried  one  of  the  pyramids  down  to  its  base,  without  finding 
any  chamber  within  or  pit  beneath  it.  My  rais,  who  was  at  a 
loss  to  comprehend  the  object  of  my  visit,  spoke  of  Lepsius  as  a 
great  Frank  astrologer,  who  had  kept  hundreds  of  the  people  at 
work  for  many  days,  and  at  last  found  in  the  earth  a  multitude 
of  chickens  and  pigeons,  all  of  solid  gold.  He  then  gave  the 
people  a  great  deal  of  backsheesh  and  went  away,  taking  the 
golden  fowls  with  him.  The  most  interesting  object  he  has 
revealed  is  a  vaulted  room,  about  twenty  feet  long,  which  the 
rais  pointed  out  as  the  place  where  the  treasures  were  found. 
It  is  possible  that  he  here  referred  to  the  discoveries  made 
about  twenty  years  ago  by  Ferlini,  who  excavated  a  great 
quantity  of  rings  and  other  ornaments — Greek  and  Roman,  as 
well  as  Ethiopian — which  are  now  in  the  Museum  at  Berlin. 
The  ceiling  of  this  vault  is  on  the  true  principle  of  the  arch, 
with  a  keystone  in  the  centre,  which  circumstance,  as  well  as 
the  character  of  the  sculptures,  would  seem  to  fix  the  age  of 
the  pyramids  at  a  little  more  than  two  thousand  years. 


234  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

I  took  a  sketch  of  this  remarkable  cluster  of  ruins  from 
their  northern  end,  and  afterwards  another  from  the  valley  he- 
low,  whence  each  pyramid  appears  distinct  and  separate,  no 
one  covering  the  other.  The  rai's  and  sailors  were  puzzled 
what  to  make  of  my  inspection  of  the  place,  but  finally  con- 
cluded that  I  hoped  to  find  a  few  golden  pigeons,  which  the 
Frank  astrologer  had  not  carried  away.  I  next  visited  the 
eastern  group,  which  consists  of  ten  pyramids,  more  or  less  di- 
lapidated, and  the  ruined  foundations  of  six  or  eight  more. 
The  largest,  which  I  ascended,  consists  of  thirty-five  courses 
of  stone,  and  is  about  fifty-three  feet  in  height,  eight  or  ten 
feet  of  the  apex  having  been  hurled  down.  Each  side  of  the 
apex  is  seventeen  paces,  or  about  forty-two  feet  long,  and  the 
angle  of  ascent  is  consequently  much  greater  than  in  the  pyra- 
mids of  Egypt.  On  the  slope  of  the  hill  are  the  substructions 
of  two  or  three  large  buildings,  of  which  sufficient  remains  to 
show  the  disposition  of  the  chambers  and  the  location  of  the 
doorways.  Towards  the  south,  near  where  the  valley  inclosed 
between  the  two  groups  opens  upon  the  plain,  are  the  remains 
of  other  pyramids  and  buildings,  and  some  large,  fortress-like 
ruins  are  seen  on  tlie  summits  of  the  mountains  to  the  East. 
I  would  willingly  have  visited  them,  but  the  wind  was  blowing 
fresh,  and  the  rai's  was  impatient  to  get  back  to  his  vessel. 
Many  of  the  stones  of  the  pyramids  are  covered  with  rude  at- 
tempts at  sculpturing  camels  and  horses ;  no  doubt  by  the 
Arabs,  for  they  resemble  a  school-boy's  first  drawings  on  a 
slate — straight  sticks  for  legs,  squares  for  bodies,  and  triangles 
for  humps. 

Leaving  the  ruins  to  the  company  of  the  black  goats  that 
were  browsing  on  the  dry  grass,  growing  in  bunches  at  their 


RITE    OF    THE    ANCIENT    CITY.  23f> 

eastern  base,  I  walked  to  another  group  of  pyramids,  which  lay 
a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  south-west,  towards  the  Nile.  As  we 
approached  them,  a  herd  of  beautiful  gray  gazelles  started 
from  among  the  stones  and  bounded  away  into  the  Desert. 
"  These  were  the  tents  of  the  poor  people,"  said  the  rai's, 
pointing  to  the  pyramids  :  "  the  Frank  found  no  golden  pi- 
geons here."  They  were,  in  fact,  smaller  and  more  dilapidated 
than  the  others.  Some  had  plain  burial  chambers  attached  to 
their  eastern  sides,  but  the  sculptures  were  few  and  insignifi- 
cant. There  were  sixteen  in  all,  more  or  less  ruined.  Scat- 
tering mounds,  abounding  with  fragments  of  bricks  and  build- 
ing-stones, extended  from  these  ruins  nearly  to  the  river's  bank, 
a  distance  of  more  than  two  miles ;  and  the  foundations  of 
many  other  pyramids  might  be  seen  among  them.  The  total 
number  of  pyramids  in  a  partial  state  of  preservation — some 
being  nearly  perfect,  while  a  few  retained  only  two  or  three  of 
the  lower  courses — which  I  counted  on  the  site  of  Meroe,  was 
forty-two.  Besides  these,  I  noticed  the  traces  of  forty  or 
fifty  others,  which  had  been  wholly  demolished.  The  entire 
number,  however,  of  which  Meroe  could  boast,- in  its  prime, 
was  one  hundred  and  ninety-six.  The  mounds  near  the 
river,  which  cover  an  extent  of  between  one  and  two  miles, 
point  out  the  site  of  the  city,  the  capital  of  the  old  Hierarchy 
of  Meroe,  and  the  pyramids  are  no  doubt  the  tombs  of  its 
kings  and  priests.  It  is  rather  singular  that  the  city  has  been 
so  completely  destroyed,  as  the  principal  spoilers  of  Egypt, 
the  Persians,  never  penetrated  into  Ethiopia,  and  there  is  no 
evidence  of  the  stones  having  been  used  to  any  extent  by  the 
Arabs,  as  building  materials. 

The  examination  of  Meroe  has  solved  the  doubtful  ques- 


236  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

tion  of  an  Ethiopian  civilization  anterior  to  that  of  Egypt, 
Hoskins  and  Cailliaud,  who  attributed  a  great  antiquity  to  the 
ruins,  were  misled  by  the  fact,  discovered  by  Lepsius,  that  the 
Ethiopian  nionarchs  adopted  as  their  own,  and  placed  upon 
their  tombs  the  nomens  of  the  earlier  Pharaohs.  It  is  now 
established  beyond  a  doubt,  that,  so  far  from  being  the  oldest, 
these  are  the  latest  remains  of  Egyptian  art ;  their  inferiority 
displays  its  decadence,  and  not  the  rude,  original  type,  whence 
it  sprang.  Starting  from  Memphis,  where  not  only  the  oldest 
Egyptian,  but  the  oldest  human  records  yet  discovered,  are 
found,  the  era  of  civilization  becomes  later,  as  you  ascend  the 
Nile.  In  Nubia,  there  are  traces  of  Thothmes  and  Amunoph 
III.,  or  about  fifteen  centuries  before  the  Christian  era;  at 
Napata,  the  ancient  capital  of  Ethiopia,  we  cannot  get  beyond 
King  Tirhaka,  eight  centuries  later ;  while  at  Meroe,  there  is 
no  evidence  which  can  fix  the  date  of  the  pyramids  earlier  than 
the  first,  or  at  furthest,  the  second  century  before  Christ. 
Egypt,  therefore,  was  not  civilized  from  Ethiopia,  but  Ethio- 
pia from  Egypt. 

The  sculptures  at  Meroe  also  establish  the  important  fact 
that  the  ancient  Ethiopians,  though  of  a  darker  complexion 
than  the  Egyptians  (as  they  are  in  fact  represented,  in  Egyp- 
tian sculpture),  were,  like  them,  an  offshoot  of  the  great  Cau- 
casian race.*     Whether  they  were  originally  emigrants  from 

*  In  the  Letters  of  Lepsiup,  which  were  not  published  until  after 
my  return  from  Africa,  I  find  the  following  passage,  the  truth  of  which 
is  supported  by  all  the  evidence  we  possess:  'The  Ethiopian  name 
comprehended  much  that  was  dissimilar,  among  the  ancients.  The  an- 
cient population  of  the  whole  Nile  Valley  as  far  as  Khartoum,  and  per- 
haps, also,  along  the  Blue  River,  as  well  as  the  tribes  of  the  Desert  to 


THE    CAUCASIAN    RACE    IN    ETHIOPIA.  237 

Northern  India  and  the  regions  about  Cashmere,  as  the  Egyp- 
tians are  supposed  to  have  been,  or,  like  the  Beni  Koreish  at 
a  later  period,  crossed  over  from  the  Arabian  Peninsula,  is  not 
so  easily  determined.  The  theory  of  Pococke  and  other 
scholars,  based  on  the  presumed  antiquity  of  Meroe,  that  here 
was  the  first  dawning  on  African  soil  of  that  earliest  Indian 
Civilization,  which  afterwards  culminated  at  Memphis  and 
Thebes,  is  overthrown ;  but  we  have  what  is  of  still  greater 
significance — the  knowledge  that  the  highest  Civilization,  in 
every  age  of  the  world,  has  been  developed  by  the  race  to 
which  we  belong. 

I  walked  slowly  back  to  the  boat,  over  the  desolate  plain, 
striving  to  create  from  those  shapeless  piles  of  ruin  the  splen- 
dor of  which  they  were  once  a  part.  The  sun,  and  the  wind, 
and  the  mountains,  and  the  Nile,  were  what  they  had  ever 
been ;  but  where  the  kings  and  priests  of  Meroe  walked  in 
the  pomp  of  their  triumphal  processions,  a  poor,  submissive 
peasant  knelt  before  me  with  a  gourd  full  of  goat's  milk ;  and 
if  I  had  asked  him  when  that  plain  had  been  inhabited,  he 
would  have  answered  me,  like  Chidhar,  the  Prophet :  tl  As 
thou  seest  it  now,  so  has  it  been  for  ever  ! " 

the  east  of  the  Nile,  and  the  Abyssinian  nations,  were  in  former  times 
probably  even  more  distinctly  separated  from  the  negroes  than  now,  and 
belonged  to  the  Caucasian  Race." 


238 


JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


Moonlight  on  the  Ethiopian  Nile. 


CHAPTER     XIX. 

ETHIOPIAN      NIGHTS'      ENTERTAINMENTS. 

The  Landscapes  of  Ethiopia — My  Evenings  heside  the  Nile — Experiences  of  the  "Ara- 
bian Nights— The  Story  of  the  Sultana  Zobeide  and  the  "Wood-cutter — Character 
of  the  Arabian  Tales— Religion. 

"  For  it  was  in  the  golden  prime 
Of  good  Haroun  Al-Easchid."— Tennyson. 

With  my  voyage  on  the  Ethiopian  Nile  a  thread  of  romance 
was  woven,  which,  in  the  Oriental  mood  that  had  now  become 
native  to  me,  greatly  added  to  the  charm  of  the  journey.  My 
nights'  entertainments  were  better  than  the  Arabian.  The 
moon  was  at  the  full,  and  although,  during  the  day,  a  light 
north-wind  filled  my  sails,  it  invariably  fell  calm  at  sunset, 


EVENING    ON    THE    NILE.  230 

• 

and  remained  so  for  two  or  three  hours.  During  the  after- 
noon, I  lay  stretched  on  my  carpet  on  the  deck,  looking 
through  half-closed  eyes  on  the  glittering  river  and  his  hanks. 
The  western  shore  was  one  long  bower  of  Paradise — so  green, 
so  bright,  so  heaped  with  the  deep,  cool  foliage  of  majestic 
sycamores  and  endless  clusters  of  palms.  I  had  seen  no  such 
beautiful  palms  since  leaving  Minyeh,  in  Lower  Egypt. 
There  they  were  taller,  but  had  not  the  exceeding  richness  and 
glory  of  these.  The  sun  shone  hot  in  a  cloudless  blue  heaven, 
and  the  air  was  of  a  glassy,  burning  clearness,  like  that  which 
dwells  in  the  inmost  heart  of  fire.  The  colors  of  the  landscape 
were  as  if  enamelled  on  gold,  so  intense,  so  glowing  in  their  in- 
toxicating depth  and  splendor.  When,  at  last,  the  wind  fell — 
except  a  breeze  just  strong  enough  to  shake  the  creamy  odor 
out  of  the  purple  bean -blossoms — and  the  sun  went  down  in  a 
bed  of  pale  orange  light,  the  moon  came  up  the  other  side  of 
heaven,  a  broad  disc  of  yellow  fire,  and  bridged  the  glassy 
Nile  with  her  beams. 

At  such  times,  I  selected  a  pleasant  spot  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  river,  where  the  palms  were  loftiest  and  most 
thickly  clustered,  and  had  the  boat  moored  to  the  shore. 
Achmet  then  spread  my  carpet  and  piled  my  cushions  on  the 
shelving  bank  of  white  sand,  at  the  foot  of  the  trees,  where,  as 
I  lay,  I  could  see  the  long,  feathery  leaves  high  above  my 
head,  and  at  the  same  time  look  upon  the  broad  wake  of  the 
moon,  as  she  rose  beyond  the  Nile.  The  sand  was  as  fine  and 
soft  as  a  bed  of  down,  and  retained  an  agreeable  warmth  from 
the  sunshine  which  had  lain  upon  it  all  day.  As  we  rarely 
halted  near  a  village,  there  was  no  sound  to  disturb  the  balmy 
repose  of  the  scene,  except,  now  and  then,  the  whine  of  a  jackal 


240  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

prowling  along  the  edge  of  the  Desert.  Achmet  crossed  his 
legs  beside  me  on  the  sand,  and  Ali,  who  at  such  times  had 
special  charge  of  my  pipe,  sat  at  my  feet,  ready  to  replenish  it 
as  often  as  occasion  required.  My  boatmen,  after  gathering  dry 
palm-leaves  and  the  resinous  branches  of  the  mimosa,  kindled 
a  fire  beside  some  neighboring  patch  of  dookhn,  and  squatted 
around  it,  smoking  and  chatting  in  subdued  tones,  that  their 
gossip  might  not  disturb  my  meditations.  Their  white  tur- 
bans and  lean  dark  faces  were  brought  out  in  strong  relief 
by  the  red  fire-light,  and  completed  the  reality  of  a  picture 
which  was  more  beautiful  than  dreams. 

On  the  first  of  these  evenings,  after  my  pipe  had  been  filled 
for  the  third  time,  Achmet,  finding  that  I  showed  no  disposi- 
tion to  break  the  silence,  and  rightly  judging  that  I  would 
rather  listen  than  talk,  addressed  me.  "  Master,"  said  he,  "  I 
know  many  stories,  such  as  the  story-tellers  relate  in  the  cof- 
fee houses  of  Cairo.  If  you  will  give  me  permission,  I  will 
tell  you  some  which  I  think  you  will  find  diverting.'*  "  Ex- 
cellent !  "  said  I ;  "  nothing  will  please  me  better,  provided 
you  tell  them  in  Arabic.  This  will  be  more  agreeable  to  both 
of  us,  and  whenever  I  cannot  understand  your  words,  I  will 
interrupt  you,  and  you  shall  explain  them  as  well  as  you  can, 
in  English."  He  immediately  commenced,  and  while  those 
evening  calms  lasted,  I  had  such  a  living  experience  of  the 
Arabian  Nights,  as  would  have  seemed  to  me  a  greater  marvel 
than  any  they  describe,  had  it  been  foreshown  to  my  boyish 
vision,  when  I  first  hung  over  the  charmed  pages.  There,  in 
my  African  mood,  the  most  marvellous  particulars  seemed 
quite  real  and  natural,  and  I  enjoyed  those  flowers  of  Eastern 
romance  with  a  zest  unknown  before.     After  my  recent  recep- 


EXPERIENCES  OF  THE  ARABIAN  NIGHTS.        241 

tion,  as  a  king  of  the  Franks,  in  the  capital  of  Berber,  it  was 
not  difficult  to  imagine  myself  Shaliriar,  the  Sultan  of  the  In- 
dies, especially  as  the  moon  showed  me  my  turbaned  shadow 
on  the  sand.  If  the  amber  mouth-piece  of  nay  pipe  was  not 
studded  with  jewels,  and  if  the  zerf  which  held  my  coffee-cup 
was  brass  instead  of  gold,  it  was  all  the  same  by  moonlight. 
Achmet,  seated  on  the  sand,  a  little  below  my  throne,  was 
Sheherazade,  and  Ali,  kneeling  at  my  feet,  her  sister,  Dinar- 
zade ;  though,  to  speak  candidly,  my  imagination  could  not 
stretch  quite  so  far.  In  this  respect,  Shaliriar  had  greatly  the 
advantage  of  me.  I  bitterly  felt  the  difference  between  my 
dusky  vizier,  and  his  vizier's  daughter.  Nor  did  Ali,  who  lis- 
tened to  the  stories  with  great  interest,  expressing  his  satisfac- 
tion occasionally  by  a  deep  guttural  chuckle,  ever  surprise  me 
by  saying :  "If  you  are  not  asleep,  my  sister,  I  beg  of  you  to 
recount  to  me  one  of  those  delightful  stories  you  know." 

Nevertheless,  those  nights  possessed  a  charm  which  sepa- 
rates them  from  all  other  nights  I  have  known.  The  stories 
resembled  those  of  the  Arabian  tale  in  being  sometimes  pro- 
longed from  one  day  to  another.  One  of  them,  in  fact,  was 
"  Ganem,  the  Slave  of  Love,"  but,  as  told  by  Achmet,  differ- 
ing slightly  from  the  English  version.  The  principal  story, 
however,  was  new  to  me,  and  as  I  am  not  aware  that  it  has  ever 
been  translated,  I  may  be  pardoned  for  telling  it  as  it  was  told 
to  me,  taking  the  liberty  to  substitute  my  own  words  for  Ach- 
met's  mixture  of  Arabic  and  English.  I  was  too  thoroughly 
given  up  to  the  pleasant  illusion,  to  note  down  the  story  at  the 
time,  and  I  regret  that  many  peculiarities  of  expression  have 
escaped  me,  which  then  led  me  to  consider  it  a  genuine  product 
of  the  age  which  produced  the  Thousand  and  One  Nights. 
11 


242  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

11  You  already  know,  my  Master,"  Achmet  began,  "  that 
many  hundred  years  ago  all  the  people  of  Islam  were  governed 
by  a  caliph,  whose  capital  was  Baghdad,  and  I  doubt  not  that 
you  have  heard  of  the  great  Caliph,  Haroun  Al-Raschid,  who 
certainly  was  not  only  the  wisest  man  of  his  day,  but  the 
wisest  that  has  been  known  since  the  days  of  our  Prophet, 
Mohammed,  whose  name  be  exalted  !  It  rarely  happens  that 
a  wise  and  great  man  ever  finds  a  wife,  whose  wisdom  is  any 
match  for  his  own ;  for  as  the  wise  men  whom  Allah  sends 
upon  the  earth  are  few,  so  are  the  wise  women  still  fewer. 
But  herein  was  the  Caliph  favored  of  Heaven.  Since  the  days 
of  Balkis,  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  whom  even  the  prophet  Solo- 
mon could  not  help  but  honor,  there  was  no  woman  equal  in 
virtue  or  in  wisdom  to  the  Sultana  Zubeydeh  (Zobeide).  The 
Caliph  never  failed  to  consult  her  on  all  important  matters, 
and  her  prudence  and  intelligence  were  united  with  his,  in  the 
government  of  his  great  empire,  even  as  the  sun  and  moon  are 
sometimes  seen  shining  in  the  heavens  at  the  same  time. 

•*  But  do  not  imagine  that  Haroun  Al-Raschid  and  the 
Sultana  Zubeydeh  were  destitute  of  faults.  None  except  the 
Prophets  of  God — may  their  names  be  extolled  for  ever  ! — were 
ever  entirely  just,  or  wise,  or  prudent.  The  Caliph  was  sub- 
ject to  fits  of  jealousy  and  mistrust,  which  frequently  led  him 
to  commit  acts  that  obliged  him,  afterwards,  to  eat  of  the  bit- 
ter fruit  of  repentance ;  and  as  for  Zubeydeh,  with  all  her 
wisdom  she  had  a  sharp  tongue  in  her  head,  and  was  often  so 
little  discreet  as  to  say  things  which  brought  upon  her  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful. 

"  It  chanced  that,  once  upon  a  time,  they  were  both  seated 
in  a  window  of  the  hareem,  which  overlooked  one  of  the  streets 


THE    SULTANA    AND    THE    WOOD-CUTTER.  243 

of  Baghdad.  The  Caliph  was  in  an  ill-humor,  for  a  beautiful 
Georgian  slave  whom  his  vizier  had  recently  brought  him,  had 
disappeared  from  the  harem,  and  he  saw  in  this  the  work  of 
Zubeydeh,  who  was  always  jealous  of  any  rival  to  her  beauty. 
Now  as  they  were  sitting  there,  looking  down  into  the  street, 
a  poor  wood-cutter  came  along,  with  a  bundle  of  sticks  upon 
his  head.  His  body  was  lean  with  poverty,  and  his  only 
clothing  was  a  tattered  cloth,  bound  around  his  waist.  But 
the  most  wonderful  thing  was,  that  in  passing  through  the 
wood  where  he  had  collected  his  load,  a  serpent  had  seized 
him  by  the  heel,  but  his  feet  were  so  hardened  by  toil  that 
they  resembled  the  hoofs  of  a  camel,  and  he  neither  felt  the 
teeth  of  the  serpent,  nor  knew  that  he  was  still  dragging  it 
after  him  as  he  walked.  The  Caliph  marvelled  when  he  be- 
held this,  but  Zubeydeh  exclaimed  :  '  See,  0  Commander  of 
the  Faithful!  there  is  the  man's  wife!'  'What!'  exclaim- 
ed Haroun,  with  sudden  wrath  :  '  Is  the  wife  then  a  serpent 
to  the  man,  which  stings  him  none  the  less  because  he  does  not 
feel  it  ?  Thou  serpent,  because  thou  hast  stung  me,  and  be- 
cause thou  hast  made  sport  of  the  honest  poverty  of  that  poor 
creature,  thou  shalt  take  the  serpent's  place  ! '  Zubeydeh  an- 
swered not  a  word,  for  she  knew  that  to  speak  would  but  in- 
crease the  Caliph's  anger.  Haroun  clapped  his  hands  thrice, 
and  presently  Mesrour,  his  chief  eunuch,  appeared.  '  Here 
Mesrour  ! '  said  he,  '  take  this  woman  with  thee,  follow  yonder 
wood-cutter,  and  present  her  to  him  as  his  wife,  whom  the  Ca-' 
liph  hath  ordered  him  to  accept.' 

"  Mesrour  laid  his  hands  upon  his  breast  and  bowed  his  head, 
in  token  of  obedience.  He  then  beckoned  to  Zubeydeh,  who 
rose,  covered  herself  with  a  veil  and  a  feridjee,  such  as  is  worn 


244  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

by  the  wives  of  the  poor,  and  followed  him.  "When  they  had 
overtaken  the  wood-cutter,  Mesrour  delivered  to  him  the  mes 
sage  of  the  Caliph,  and  presented  to  him  the  veiled  Zubeydeh. 
'  There  is  no  God  but  God ! '  said  the  poor  man  ;  '  but  how 
can  I  support  a  wife — I,  who  can  scarcely  live  by  my  own  la- 
bors?' 'Dost  thou  dare  to  disobey  the  Commander  of  the 
Faithful  ? '  cried  Mesrour,  in  such  a  savage  tone,  that  the  man 
trembled  from  head  to  foot ;  but  Zubeydeh,  speaking  for  the 
first  time,  said  :  '  Take  me  with  thee,  0  Man !  since  it  is  the 
Caliph's  will.  I  will  serve  thee  faithfully,  and  perhaps  the 
burden  of  thy  poverty  may  be  lightened  through  me.'  The 
man  thereupon  obeyed,  and  they  proceeded  together  to  his 
house,  which  was  in  a  remote  part  of  the  city.  There  were  but 
two  miserable  rooms,  with  a  roof  which  was  beginning  to  fall  in, 
from  decay.  The  wood-cutter,  having  thrown  down  his  bundle, 
went  out  to  the  bazaar,  purchased  some  rice  and  a  little  salt, 
and  brought  a  jar  of  water  from  the  fountain.  This  was  all  he 
could  afford,  and  Zubeydeh,  who  had  kindled  a  fire  in  the 
mean  time,  cooked  it  and  placed  it  before  him.  But  when  he 
would  have  had  her  raise  her  veil  and  sit  down  to  eat  with  him, 
she  refused,  saying :  '  I  have  promised  that  I  shall  not  increase 
the  burden  of  thy  poverty.  Promise  me,  in  return,  that  thou 
wilt  never  seek  to  look  upon  my  face,  nor  to  enter  that  room, 
which  I  have  chosen  for  my  apartment.  I  am  not  without 
learning,  0  Man !  and  if  thou  wilt  respect  my  wishes,  it  shall 
be  well  for  thee.' 

"  The  wood-cutter,  who  was  not  naturally  deficient  in  intel- 
ligence, perceived  from  the  words  of  Zubeydeh  that  she  was  a 
superior  person,  and,  judging  that  he  could  not  do  better  than 
to  follow  her  counsel,  promised  at  once  all  that  she  desired. 


THE    SULTANA    AND    THE    WOOD-CUTTER.  245 

She  then  declared,  that  as  she  intended  to  take  charge  of  his 
household,  he  must  give  to  her,  every  evening,  all  the  money 
he  had  received  for  his  wood  during  the  day.  The  man  con- 
sented to  this  likewise,  produced  a  handful  of  copper  coins, 
which'  altogether  amounted  to  only  one  piastre — but  you  must 
know,  my  master,  that  a  piastre,  in  the  days  of  Haroun  Al- 
Raschid,  was  four  or  five  times  as  much  as  it  is  now-a-days. 
Thus  they  lived  together  for  several  weeks,  the  wood-cutter 
going  to  the  forest  every  day,  and  paying  his  gains  every  night 
into  the  hands  of  Zubeydeh,  who  kept  his  miserable  house  clean 
and  comfortable  and  prepared  his  food.  She  managed  things 
with  so  much  economy  that  she  was  enabled  to  save  two  paras 
every  day,  out  of  the  piastre  which  he  gave  her.  When  she 
had  amassed  twenty  piastres  in  this  way,  she  gave  them  to  the 
wood-cutter,  saying :  '  Go  now  to  the  market  and  buy  thee  an 
ass  with  this  money.  Thou  canst  thus  bring  home  thrice  as 
much  wood  as  before,  and  the  ass  can  subsist  upon  the  grass 
which  he  finds  in  the  forest,  and  which  costs  thee  nothing.' 
'By  Allah!'  exclaimed  the  wood-cutter;  'thou  art  a  won- 
derful woman,  and  I  will  obey  thee  in  every  thing.' 

"  He  forthwith  did  as  Zubeydeh  ordered,  and  was  now  en- 
abled to  give  her  three  or  four  piastres  every  evening.  She 
presented  him  with  a  more  decent  garment,  and  added  butter 
to  his  pillau  of  rice,  but  still  preserved  such  a  strict  economy, 
that  in  a  short  time  he  was  master  of  three  asses  instead  of 
one,  and  was  obliged  to  hire  a  man  to  assist  him  in  cutting 
wood.  One  evening,  as  the  asses  came  home  with  their  loads, 
Zubeydeh  remarked  that  the  wood  gave  out  a  grateful  fra- 
grance, like  that  of  musk  or  ambergris,  and  upon  examining  it 
more  closely,  she  found  that  it  was  a  most  precious  article — • 


246  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

in  fact,  that  it  had  been  cut  from  one  of  those  spicy  trees  which 
sprang  up  where  the  tears  of  Adam  fell  upon  the  Earth,  as  he 
bewailed  his  expulsion  from  Paradise.  For  at  that  time  the 
juices  of  the  fruits  of  Paradise  still  remained  in  his  body,  and 
his  tears  were  flavored  by  them — which  was  the  cause  of  all 
the  spices  that  grow  in  the  lands  of  Serendib  and  India,  Zu- 
beydeh  asked  of  the  wood-cutter  :  '  To  whom  dost  thou  sell  this 
wood  ? '  and  from  his  answer  she  found  that  it  was  all  purchased 
by  some  Jewish  merchants,  who  gave  him  no  more  for  it  than 
for  the  common  wood  with  which  she  cooked  his  rice.  '  The 
accursed  Jews ! '  she  exclaimed :  *  Go  thou  to  them  immedi- 
ately, and  threaten  to  accuse  them  before  the  Cadi  of  defraud- 
ing a  son  of  the  Faith,  unless  they  agree  to  pay  thee  for  this 
wood  henceforth,  twelve  times  as  much  as  they  have  paid 
before ! ' 

"  The  man  lost  no  time  in  visiting  the  Jewish  merchants, 
who,  when  they  saw  that  their  fraud  had  been  discovered,  were 
greatly  alarmed,  and  immediately  agreed  to  pay  him  all  that 
he  demanded.  The  wood-cutter  now  brought .  home  every 
night  three  donkey-loads  of  the  precious  wood,  and  paid  to 
Zubeydeh  from  one  to  two  hundred  piastres.  She  was  soon 
able  to  purchase  a  better  house,  where  she  not  only  gave  the 
man  more  nourishing  food,  but  sent  for  a  teacher  to  instruct 
him  how  to  read  and  write.  He  had  so  improved  in  appear- 
ance by  this  time,  and  had  profited  so  well  by  the  wise  conver- 
sation of  Zubeydeh,  that  he  was  quite  like  another  person,  and 
those  who  had  known  him  in  his  poverty  no  longer  recognized 
him.  For  this  reason,  the  Caliph,  who  soon  repented  of  his 
anger  towards  Zubeydeh  and  made  every  effort  to  recover  her, 
was  unable  to  find  any  trace  of  him.     Mesrour  sought  day  and 


THE    SULTANA    AND    THE    WOOD-CUTTER.  247 

night  through  the  streets  of  BagBdad,  but  as  Zubeydeh  never 
left  the  wood-cutter's  house,  all  his  search  was  in  vain,  and  the 
Caliph  was  like  one  distracted. 

"  One  day,  as  the  wood-cutter  was  on  his  way  to  the  forest, 
he  was  met  by  three  persons,  who  desired  to  hire  his  asses  for 
the  day.  '  But,'  said  he,  1 1  make  my  living  from  the  wood 
which  the  asses  carry  to  the  city.'  '  What  profit  do  you  make 
upon  each  load  ?  '  asked  one  of  the  men.  l  If  it  is  a  good 
load,  I  often  make  fifty  piastres,'  answered  the  wood-cutter. 
'  Well,'  said  the  men,  '  we  will  give  you  two  hundred  pias- 
tres as  the  hire  of  each  ass,  for  one  day.'  The  wood-cutter, 
who  had  not  expected  such  an  extraordinary  offer,  was  about 
to  accept  it  at  once,  when  be  reflected  that  he  had  obeyed  in 
all  things  the  advice  of  Zubeydeh,  and  ought  not  to  take  such 
a  step  without  her  consent.  He  thereupon  requested  the  men 
to  wait  while  he  returned  home  and  consulted  his  wife.  c  You 
have  done  right,  0  my  lord  ! '  said  Zubeydeh :  '  I  commend 
your  prudence,  and  am  quite  willing  that  you  should  accept 
the  offer  of  the  men,  as  the  money  will  purchase  other  asses 
and  repay  you  for  the  loss  of  the  day's  profit,  if  the  persons 
should  not  return.' 

"  Now  the  three  men  were  three  celebrated  robbers,  who  had 
amassed  a  vast  treasure,  which  they  kept  concealed  in  a  cave 
in  one  of  the  neighboring  mountains.  They  hired  the  donkeys 
in  order  to  transport  this  treasure  to  a  barque  in  which  they 
had  taken  passage  to  Bassora,  where  they  intended  to  estab- 
lish themselves  as  rich  foreign  merchants.  But  Allah,  who 
governs  all  things,  allows  the  plans  of  the  wicked  to  prosper 
for  a  time,  only  that  he  may  throw  them  into  more  utter  ruin 
at  the  last.     The  robbers  went  to  their  secret  cave  with  the 


248  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

donkeys  and  loaded  them  with  all  their  spoils — great  sacks  of 
gold,  of  rubies,  diamonds  and  emeralds,  which  the  beasts  were 
scarcely  strong  enough  to  carry.  On  their  way  to  the  river 
below  Baghdad,  where  the  boat  was  waiting  for  them,  two  of 
them  stopped  to  drink  at  a  well,  while  the  other  went  on  with 
the  asses.  Said  one  of  the  twain  to  the  other  :  "  Let  us  kill 
our  comrade,  that  we  may  have  the  greater  treasure."  He  at 
once  agreed,  and  they  had  no  sooner  overtaken  the  third  rob- 
ber, than  the  first,  with  one  stroke  of  his  sabre,  made  his  head 
fly  from  his  body.  The  two  then  proceeded  together  for  a 
short  distance,  when  the  murderer  said  :  '  I  must  have  more 
than  half  of  the  treasure,  because  I  killed  our  comrade.'  '  If 
you  begin  by  claiming  more  than  half,  you  will  in  the  end 
claim  the  whole,'  said  the  other  robber,  who  refused  to  agree. 
They  presently  set  upon  each  other  with  their  swords,  and 
after  fighting  for  some  time,  both  of  them  received  so  many 
wounds  that  they  fell  dead  in  the  road. 

"  The  asses,  finding  that  no  one  was  driving  them  any 
longer,  took,  from  habit,  the  road  to  the  wood-cutter's  house, 
where  they  arrived  safely,  with  the  treasure  upon  their  backs 
Great  was  the  amazement  of  their  master,  who,  at  Zubeydeh's 
command,  carried  the  heavy  sacks  into  the  house.  But  when 
he  had  opened  one  of  them,  and  the  splendor  of  the  jewels  fill- 
ed the  whole  room,  Zubeydeh  exclaimed  :  '  God  is  great ! 
Now,  indeed,  I  see  that  my  conduct  is  acceptable  to  Him,  and 
that  His  hand  hurries  my  design  more  swiftly  to  its  comple- 
tion.' But,  as  she  knew  not  what  had  happened  to  the  rob 
bers,  and  supposed  that  the  owner  of  the  treasure  would  have 
his  loss  proclaimed  in  the  bazaars,  she  determined  to  keep  the 
sacks  closed  for  the  space  of  a  moon,  after  which,  according  to 


THE    SULTANA    AND    THE    WOOD-CUTTER.  249 

the  law,  they  would  become  her  property,  if  they  had  not  been, 
claimed  in  the  mean  time.  Of  course,  no  proclamation  of  the 
loss  was  made,  and  at  the  end  of  the  moon,  she  considered  that 
she  had  a  just  right  to  the  treasure,  which,  upon  computation, 
proved  to  be  even  greater  than  that  of  the  Caliph  Haroun  Al- 
Raschid. 

"  She  commanded  the  wood-cutter  to  send  her  at  once  the 
most  renowned  architect  of  Baghdad,  whom  she  directed  to 
build,  exactly  opposite  to  the  Caliph's  Palace,  another  palace 
which  should  surpass  in  splendor  any  thing  that  had  ever  been 
beheld.  For  the  purchase  of  the  materials  and  the  hire  of  the 
workmen,  she  gave  him  a  hundred  thousand  pieces  of  gold. 
'  If  men  ask,'  said  she,  '  for  whom  you  are  building  the  palace, 
tell  them  it  is  for  the  son  of  a  foreign  king.'  The  architect 
employed  all  the  workmen  in  Baghdad,  and  followed  her  in- 
structions so  well,  that  in  two  months  the  palace  was  finished. 
The  like  of  it  had  never  been  seen,  and  the  Caliph's  palace 
faded  before  its  magnificence  as  the  face  of  the  moon  fades 
when  the  sun  has  risen  above  the  horizon.  The  walls  were  of 
marble,  white  as  snow ;  the  gates  of  ivory,  inlaid  with  pearl ; 
the  domes  were  gilded,  so  that  when  the  sun  shone,  the  eye 
could  not  look  upon  them  ;  and  from  a  great  fountain  of  silver, 
in  the  court-yard,  a  jet  of  rose-colored  water,  which  diffused 
an  agreeable  odor,  leaped  into  air.  Of  this  palace  it  might 
be  said,  in  the  words  of  the  poet :  '  Truly  it  resembles  Para- 
dise ;  or  is  it  the  lost  House  of  Irem,  built  from  the  treasures 
of  King  Sheddad  ?  May  kindness  dwell  upon  the  lips  of  the 
lord  of  this  palace,  and  charity  find  refuge  in  his  heart,  that 
he  be  adjudged  worthy  to  enjoy  such  splendor  !' 

"  During  the  building  of  the  palace,  Zubeydeh  employed 
11* 


250  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  best  masters  in  teaching  the  wood-cutter  all  the  accomplish- 
ments which  his  present  condition  required  that  he  should  pos- 
sess. In  a  short  time  he  was  a  very  pattern  of  elegance  in  his 
manner ;  his  words  were  choice  and  spoken  with  dignity  and 
propriety,  and  his  demeanor  was  that  of  one  born  to  command 
rather  than  to  obey.  When  she  had  succeeded  to  the  full  ex- 
tent of  her  wishes,  she  commenced  teaching  him  to  play  chess, 
and  spent  several  hours  a  day  in  this  manner,  until  he  finally 
played  with  a  skill  equal  to  her  own.  By  this  time,  the  palace 
was  completed,  and  after  having  purchased  horses  and  slaves, 
and  every  thing  necessary  to  the  maintenance  of  a  princely 
household,  Zubeydeh  and  the  wood-cutter  took  possession  of  it 
during  the  night,  in  order  that  they  might  not  be  observed  by 
the  Caliph.  Zubeydeh  bade  the  wood-cutter  remember  the 
promise  he  had  made  her.  She  still  retained  her  own  apart- 
ments, with  a  number  of  female  slaves  to  attend  her,  and  she 
now  presented  to  him,  as  a  harem  becoming  a  prince,  twenty 
Circassian  girls,  each  one  fairer  than  the  morning-star. 

"  The  next  morning  she  called  the  wood-cutter,  and  ad- 
dressed him  thus  :  l  You  see,  my  lord  !  what  I  have  done  for 
you.  You  remember  in  what  misery  I  found  you,  and  how, 
by  your  following  my  advice,  every  thing  was  changed.  I  in- 
tend to  exalt  you  still  higher,  and  in  order  that  my  plans  may 
not  be  frustrated,  I  now  ask  you  to  promise  that  you  will  obey 
me  in  all  things,  for  a  month  from  this  time.'  Zubeydeh  made 
this  demand,  for  she  knew  how  quickly  a  change  of  fortune 
may  change  a  man's  character,  and  how  he  will  soon  come  to 
look  upon  that  as  a  right  which  Allah  granted  him  as  a  boon. 
But  the  wood-cutter  threw  himself  at  her  feet,  and  said  :  '  0 
Queen !  it  is  for  you  to  command,  and  it  is  for  me  to  obey. 


THE    SULTANA    AND    THE    WOOD-CUTTER.  251 

You  have  taught  me  understanding  and  wisdom ;  you  have 
given  me  the  wealth  of  kings.  May  Allah  forget  me,  if  I  for- 
get to  give  you,  in  return,  gratitude  and  obedience.'  *  Go, 
then,'  continued  Zubeydeh,  '  mount  this  horse,  and  attended 
by  twenty  slaves  on  horseback,  visit  the  coffee-house  in  the 
great  bazaar.  Take  with  thee  a  purse  of  three  thousand  pieces 
of  gold,  and  as  thou  goest  on  thy  way,  scatter  a  handful  occa- 
sionally among  the  beggars.  Take  thy  seat  in  the  coffee-house, 
where  thou  wilt  see  the  Vizier's  son,  who  is  a  skilful  player 
of  chess.  He  will  challenge  the  multitude  to  play  with  him, 
and  when  no  one  accepts,  do  thou  engage  him  for  a  thousand 
pieces  of  gold.  Thou  wilt  win ;  but  pay  him  the  thousand 
pieces  as  if  thou  hadst  lost,  give  two  hundred  pieces  to  the 
master  of  the  coffee-house,  divide  two  hundred  pieces  among 
the  attendants,  and  scatter  the  remainder  among  the  beggars.' 
"  The  wood-cutter  performed  all  that  Zubeydeh  commanded. 
He  accepted  the  challenge  of  the  Yizier's  son,  won  the  game, 
yet  paid  him  a  thousand  pieces  of  gold  as  if  he  had  lost,  and 
then  rode  back  to  the  palace,  followed  by  the  acclamations  of 
the  multitude,  who  were  loud  in  their  praises  of  his  beauty, 
the  elegance  of  his  speech,  his  unbounded  munificence,  and  the 
splendor  of  his  attendance.  Every  day  he  visited  the  coffee- 
house, gave  two  hundred  pieces  of  gold  to  the  master,  two 
hundred  to  the  servants,  and  distributed  six  hundred  among 
the  beggars.  But  the  Vizier's  son,  overcome  with  chagrin  at 
his  defeat,  remained  at  home,  where,  in  a  few  days,  he  sick- 
ened and  died.  These  things  coming  to  the  Vizier's  ear,  he 
felt  a  great  desire  to  see  the  foreign  prince,  whose  wealth  and 
generosity  were  the  talk  of  all  Baghdad ;  and  as  he  believed 
himself  to  be  the  greatest  chess-player  in  the  world,  he  deter- 


252  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

mined  to  challenge  him  to  a  game.  He  thereupon  visited  the 
coffee-house,  where  he  had  not  remained  long  when  the  wood- 
cutter made  his  appearance,  in  even  greater  splendor  than  be- 
fore. This  was  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  Zubey- 
deh,  who  was  informed  of  all  that  had  taken  place.  He  at 
once  accepted  the  Vizier's  challenge  to  play,  for  a  stake  of  two 
thousand  pieces  of  gold.  After  a  hard-fought  battle,  the 
Vizier  was  fairly  beaten,  but  the  wood-cutter  paid  him  the 
two  thousand  pieces  of  gold,  as  if  he  had  lost  the  game,  gave 
away  another  thousand  as  usual,  and  retired  to  his  palace. 

"  The  Vizier  took  his  defeat  so  much  to  heart,  that  his  cha- 
grin, combined  with  grief  for  the  loss  of  his  son,  carried  him 
off  in  a  few  days.  This  circumstance  brought  the  whole  his- 
tory to  the  ears  of  Haroun  Al-Raschid  himself,  who  was  im- 
mediately seized  with  a  strong  desire  to  play  chess  with  the 
foreign  prince,  not  doubting  but  that,  as  he  had  always  beaten 
his  Vizier,  he  would  be  more  than  a  match  for  the  new  antago- 
nist. Accordingly  he  sent  an  officer  to  the  palace  of  the  wood- 
cutter, with  a  message  that  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful  de- 
sired to  offer  his  hospitality  to  the  son  of  the  foreign  king. 
By  Zubeydeh's  advice,  the  invitation  was  accepted,  and  the 
officer  speedily  returned  to  Haroun  Al-Raschid,  to  whom  he 
gave  such  a  description  of  the  magnificence  of  the  new  palace, 
that  the  Caliph's  mouth  began  to  water,  and  he  exclaimed  : 
1  By  Allah  !  I  must  look  to  this.  No  man,  who  has  not  the 
ring  of  Solomon  on  his  finger,  shall  surpass  me  in  my  own  cap- 
ital ! "  In  a  short  time  the  wood-cutter  arrived,  attired  in 
such  splendor  that  the  day  seemed  brighter  for  his  appearance, 
and  attended  by  forty  black  slaves,  in  dresses  of  crimson  silk, 
with  turbans  of  white  and  gold,  and  golden  swords  by  their 


THE    SULTANA    AND    THE    WOOD-CUTTER.  253 

Bides.  They  formed  a  double  row  from  the  court-yard  to  the 
throne-hall  where  the  Caliph  sat,  and  up  the  avenue  thus  form- 
ed the  wood-cutter  advanced,  preceded  by  two  slaves  in  dresses 
of  cloth-of- silver,  who  placed  at  the  Caliph's  feet  two  crystal 
goblets  filled  with  rubies  and  emeralds  of  immense  size.  The 
Caliph,  delighted  with  this  superb  present,  rose,  embraced  the 
supposed  prince,  and  seated  him  by  his  side.  From  the  great 
wealth  displayed  by  the  wood-cutter,  and  the  perfect  grace 
and  propriety  of  his  manners,  the  Caliph  suspected  that  he 
was  no  less  a  personage  than  the  son  of  the  King  of  Cathay. 

"After  a  handsome  repast  had  been  served,  the  Caliph 
proposed  a  game  of  chess,  stating  that  he  had  heard  much  of 
the  prince's  skill  in  playing.  '  After  I  shall  have  played  with 
you,  0  Commander  of  the  Faithful  ! '  said  the  wood-cutter, 
'  you  will  hear  no  more  of  my  skill.'  The  Caliph  was  charm- 
ed with  the  modesty  of  this  speech,  and  the  compliment  to 
himself,  and  they  immediately  began  to  play.  The  wood-cut- 
ter, although  he  might  easily  have  beaten  the  Caliph,  suffered 
the  latter  to  win  the  first  game,  which  put  him  into  the  best 
humor  possible.  But  when  the  second  game  had  been  played, 
and  the  wood-cutter  was  the  victor,  he  perceived  that  the  Ca- 
liph's face  became  dark,  and  his  good-humor  was  gone.  c  You 
are  too  generous  to  your  servant,  0  Caliph  ! '  said  he ;  '  had 
you  not  given  me  this  success  as  an  encouragement,  I  should 
have  lost  a  second  time.'  At  these  words  Haroun  smiled,  and 
they  played  a  third  game,  which  the  wood-cutter  purposely  al- 
lowed him  to  win.  Such  was  the  counsel  given  to  him  by  Zu- 
beydeh,  who  said  :  '  If  thou  permittest  him  to  win  the  first 
game,  he  will  be  so  well  pleased,  that  thou  mayest  venture  to 
defeat  him  on  the  second  game.     Then,  when  he  has  won  the 


254  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

third  game,  thy  having  been  once  victorious  will  magnify  his 
opinion  of  his  own  skill ;  for  where  we  never  suffer  defeat,  we 
at  last  regard  our  conquests  with  indifference.' 

"  The  result  was  precisely  as  Zubeydeh  had  predicted. 
The  Caliph  was  charmed  with  the  foreign  prince,  and  in  a  few 
days  made  him  his  Vizier.  The  wood-cutter  filled  his  exalted 
station  with  dignity  arid  judgment,  and  became  at  once  a  great 
favorite  with  the  people  of  Baghdad.  The  month  of  obedience 
which  he  promised  to  Zubeydeh  was  now  drawing  to  a  close, 
when  she  said  to  him  :  '  Cease  to  visit  the  Caliph,  and  do  not 
leate  thy  palace  for  two  or  three  days.  When  the  Caliph 
sends  -for  thee,  return  for  answer  that  thou  art  ill.'  She  fore- 
saw that  the  Caliph  would  then  come  to  see  his  Vizier,  and 
gave  the  wood-cutter  complete  instructions,  concerning  what  he 
should  say  and  do. 

"  Haroun  Al-Raschid  no  sooner  heard  of  the  illness  of  his 
Vizier,  than  he  went  personally  to  his  palace,  to  see  him.  He 
was  amazed  at  the  size  and  splendor'of  the  edifice.  *  Truly,' 
said  he,  striking  his  hands  together,  'this  man  hath  found 
the  ring  of  Solomon,  which  compels  the  assistance  of  the  ge- 
nii. In  all  my  life  I  have  never  seen  such  a  palace  as  this.' 
He  found  the  Vizier  reclining  on  a  couch  of  cloth-of-gold,  in  a 
chamber,  the  walls,  whereof  were  of  mother-of-pearl,  and  the 
floor  of  ivory.  There  was  a  fountain  of  perfumed  water  in  the 
, centre,  and  beside  it  stood  a  jasmine-tree,  growing  in  a  vase 
of- crystal.  'How  is  this?'  said  the  Caliph,  seating  himself, 
on  one  end  of  the  couch ;  '  a  man  whom  the  genii  serve,  should 
have  the  secrets  of  health  in  his  hands.'  ''It  is  no  fever,'  said 
the  Vizier  ;  '  but  the  other  day  as  I  was  washing  myself  in  the 
fountain,  before 'the  evening  prayer,  I  stooped  too  near  the  jas- 


THE    SULTANA    AND    THE    WOOD-CUTTER.  255 

mine  tree,  and  one  of  its  thorns  scratched  my  left  arm.' 
*  What ! '  cried  the  Caliph,  in  amazement ;  l  tne  scratch  of  a 
blunt  jasmine-thorn  has  made  you  ill ! '  c  You  wonder  at  it, 
no  doubt,  0  Commander  of  the  Faithful!'  said  the  Vizier; 
'  because,  only  a  few  months  ago,  you  saw  that  I  was  insensi- 
ble to  the  fangs  of  a  serpent,  which  had  fastened  upon  my 
heel.'  '  There  is  no  God  but  God  ! '  exclaimed  Haroun  Al- 
Raschid,  as  by  these  words  he  recognized  the  poor  wood-cut- 
ter, who  had  passed  under  the  window  of  his  palace — '  hast 
thou  indeed  found  the  ring  of  Solomon  ? — and  where  is  the  wo- 
man whom  Mesrour,  at -my  command,  brought  to  thee  ?' 

"  '  She  is  here  ! '  said  Zubeydeh,  entering  the  door.  She 
turned  towards  the  Caliph,  and  slightly  lifting  her  veil,  show- 
ed him  her  face,  more  beautiful  than  ever.  Haroun,  with  a 
cry  of  joy,  was  on  the  point  of  clasping  her  in  his  arms,  when 
he  stopped  suddenly,  and  said  :  '  But  thou  art  no  w  the  wife  of 
that  man.'  'Not  so,  great  Caliph!'  exclaimed  the  Vizier 
who  rose  to  his  feet,  now  that  there  was  no  longer  any.  need 
to  affect  illness  ;  '  from  the  day  that  she  entered  my  house,  J 
have  never  seen  her  face.  By  the  beard  of  the  .Prophet,  she 
is  not  less  pure  than  she  is  wise.  It  is  she  who  has  made  me 
all  that  I  am.  Obedience  to  her  was  the  seed  from  which  the 
tree  of  my  fortune  has  grown.'  Zubeydeh  then  knelt  at  the 
Caliph's  feet,  and  said  :  '  0  Commander  of  the  Faithful,  re-, 
store  me  to  the  light  of  your  favor.  I  swear  to  you  that  I  anj- 
riot  lesss  your  wife  than  when  the  cloud  of  your  anger  over- 
shadowed me.  This  honorable  man  has  never  ceased. V)  re- 
spect me.  My  thoughtless  words  led  you  to  .send  pie  forth  *to 
take  the  place  of  the  serpent,  but  I  have  now  shown  you  that 
a  wife  may  also  be  to  her  husband  as  the  staff,  whereon  ho 


256  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

leans  for  support ;  as  the  camel,  which  bringeth  him  riches ; 
as  the  tent,  which  shelters  and  protects  him;  as  the  bath, 
which  maketh  him  comely,  and  as  the  lamp,  whereby  his  steps 
are  enlightened.' 

"  Haroun  Al-Raschid  had  long  since  bitterly  repented  of 
his  rashness  and  cruelty.  He  now  saw  in  what  had  happened, 
the  hand  of  Allah,  who  had  turned  that  which  he  had  intended 
as  a  punishment,  into  a  triumph.  He  restored  Zubeydeh  at 
once  to  his  favor,  and  to  the  wood-cutter,  whom  he  still  retain- 
ed as  Vizier,  he  gave  his  eldest  daughter  in  marriage.  All  the 
citizens  of  Baghdad  took  part  in  the  festivities,  which  lasted 
two  weeks,  and  the  Caliph,  to  commemorate  his  gratitude, 
built  a  superb  mosque,  which  is  called  the  Mosque  of  the  Res- 
toration to  this  very  day.  The  Vizier  nobly  requited  all  the 
pains  which  the  Sultana  Zubeydeh  had  taken  with  his  educa- 
tion, and  showed  so  much  wisdom  and  justice  in  his  adminis- 
tration of  the  laws,  that  the  Caliph  never  had  occasion  to  be 
dissatisfied  with  him.  Thus  they  all  lived  together  in  the  ut- 
most happiness  and  concord,  until  they  were  each,  in  turn,  vis- 
ited by  the  Terminator  of  Delights  and  the  Separator  of  Com- 
panions." 

So  ended  Achmet's  story ;  but  without  the  moonlight,  the 
tall  Ethiopian  palms  and  the  soothing  pipe,  as  accessories,  I 
fear  that  this  reproduction  of  it  retains  little  of  the  charm 
which  I  found  in  the  original.  It  was  followed  by  other  and 
wilder  tales,  stamped  in  every  part  with  the  unmistakable  sig- 
net of  the  Orient.  They  were  all  characterized  by  the  belief 
in  an  inevitable  Destiny,  which  seems  to  be  the  informing  soul 
of  all  Oriental  literature.  This  belief  affords  every  liberty  to 
the  poet  and  romancer,  and  the  Arabic  authors  have  not  scru- 


ORIENTAL    LITERATURE.  257 

pled  to  make  liberal  use  of  it.  There  is  no  hazard  in  sur- 
rounding your  hero  with  all  sorts  of  real  and  imaginary  dan- 
gers, or  in  heaping  up  obstacles  in  the  path  of  his  designs, 
when  you  know  that  his  destiny  obliges  him  to  overcome  them. 
He  becomes,  for  the  time,  the  impersonation  of  Fate,  and  cir- 
cumstances yield  before  him.  You  see,  plainly,  that  he  was 
chosen,  in  the  beginning,  to  do  the  very  thing  which  he  accom- 
plishes, in  the  end.  If  a  miracle  is  needed  for  his  success,  it 
is  not  withheld.  Difficulties  crowd  upon  him  to  the  last,  only 
that  the  final  triumph  may  be  more  complete  and  striking. 
Yet  with  all  these  violations  of  probability,  the  Oriental  tales 
exhibit  a  great  fertility  of  invention  and  sparkle  with  touches 
of  genuine  human  nature.  The  deep  and  absorbing  interest 
with  which  the  unlettered  Arabs  listen  to  their  recital — the 
hold  which  they  have  upon  the  popular  heart  of  the  East — at- 
tests their  value,  as  illustrations  of  Eastern  life. 

Erom  Poetry  we  frequently  passed  to  Religion,  and  Ach- 
met  was  astonished  to  find  me  familiar  not  only  with  Mo- 
hammed, but  with  Ali  and  Abdullah  and  Abu-talib,  and  with 
many  incidents  of  the  Prophet's  life,  which  were  new  to  him. 
The  Persian  chronicles  were  fresh  in  my  memory,  and  all  the 
wonders  related  of  Mohammed  by  that  solemn  old  biographer, 
Mohammed  Bekr,  came  up  again  as  vividly  as  when  I  first 
read  them.  "We  compared  notes,  he  repeated  passages  of  the 
Koran,  and  so  the  Giaour  and  the  True  Believer  discussed  the 
nature  of  their  faith,  but  always  ended  by  passing  beyond  Pro- 
phet and  Apostle,  to  the  one  great  and  good  God,  who  is 
equally  merciful  to  all  men.  I  could  sincerely  adopt  the  first 
article  of  his  faith:  "La  illah  iV  Allah!"  "There  is  no 
God  but  God,"  while  he  was  equally  ready  to  accept  the  first 
commandment  of  mine. 


258  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTEE    XX. 

FROM      SHENDY      TO      KHARTODM. 

Arriva.  at  Shendy— Appearance  of  the  Town— Shendy  in  Former  Days— We  Touch  at 
El  Metemma— The  Nile  beyond  Shendy— Flesh  Diet  vs.  Yegetables— We  Escape 
Shipwreck— A  "Walk  on  Shore— The  Rapids  of  Derreira— Djebel  Gerri— The 
Twelfth  Cataract— Night  in  the  Mountain  Gorge — Crocodiles— A  Drink  of  Mareesa 
—My  Birth-Day — Fair  Wind— Approach  to  Khartoum— The  Junction  of  the  Two 
Niles — Appearance  of  the  City — We  Drop  Anchor. 

The  morning  after  visiting  the  ruins  of  Meroe  I  reached  the 
old  Ethiopian  town  of  Shendy.  It  lies  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  river,  hut  the  massive  fort  and  palace  of  the  Governor  are 
built  on  the  water's  edge.  Several  spreading  sycamore  trees 
gave  a  grace  to  the  shore,  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
dull  and  tame.  Naked  Ethiopians  were  fishing  or  washing 
their  clothes  in  the  water,  and  some  of  them,  as  they  held  their 
long,  scarlet-edged  mantles  above  their  heads,  to  dry  in  the 
wind  and  sun,  showed  fine,  muscular  figures.  The  women  had 
hideous  faces,  but  symmetrical  and  well  developed  forms.  A 
group  of  Egyptian  soldiers  watched  us  from  the  bank  before 
the  palace,  and  several  personages  on  horseback,  one  of  whom 
appeared  to  be  the  Governor  himself,  were  hailing  the  ferry 


SHENDY.  259 

boat,  which  was  just  about  putting  off  with  a  heavy  load  of  na- 
tives. 

We  ran  the  boat  to  the  shore,  at  a  landing-place  just  above 
the  palace.  The  banks  of  the  river  were  covered  with  fields 
of  cucumbers  and  beans,  the  latter  brilliant  with  white  and 
purple  blossoms  and  filled  with  the  murmuring  sound  of  bees. 
Achmet,  the  rais  and  I  walked  up  to  the  capital — the  famous 
Shendy,  once  the  great  mart  of  trade  for  the  regions  between 
the  Red  Sea  and  Dar-Fur.  On  the  way  we  met  numbers  of 
women  with  water-jars.  They  wore  no  veils,  but  certainly 
needed  them,  for  their  faces  were  of  a  broad,  semi-negro  char- 
acter, and  repulsively  plain.  The  town  is  built  in  a  straggling 
manner,  along  a  low,  sandy  ridge,  and  is  upwards  of  a  mile  in 
length,  though  it  probably  does  not  contain  more  than  ten 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  houses  are  mud,  of  course,  but 
rough  and  filthy,  and  many  of  them  are  the  same  circular  to- 
Iculs  of  mats  and  palm-sticks  as  I  had  already  noticed  in  the 
smaller  villages.  The  only  decent  dwelling  which  I  saw  had 
been  just  erected  by  a  Dongolese  merchant.  There  was  a 
mosque,  with  a  low  mud  minaret,  but  neither  in  this  nor  in 
any  other  respect  did  the  place  compare  with  El  Mekheyref. 
The  bazaar  resembled  a  stable,  having  a  passage  through  the 
centre,  shaded  with  mats,  and  stalls  on  either  side,  some  of 
which  contained  donkeys  and  others  merchants.  The  goods 
displayed  were  principally  blue  and  white  cotton  stuffs  of  coarse 
quality,  beads,  trinkets  and  the  like.  It  was  market-day,  but 
the  people  had  not  yet  assembled.  A  few  screens  of  matting, 
erected  on  sticks,  were  the  only  preparations  which  had  been 
made.  The  whole  appearance  of  the  place  was  that  of  poverty 
and  desertion.     Beyond  the  clusters  of  huts,  and  a  mud  wall} 


260  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

which  ran  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  town,  the  Desert  ex- 
tended to  the  horizon — a  hot,  white  plain,  dotted  with  clumps 
of  thorns.  On  our  return  to  the  boat,  the  rai's  pointed  out  the 
spot  where,  in  1822,  Ismail  Pasha  and  his  soldiers  were  burn- 
ed to  death  by  Mek  Nemr  (King  Leopard),  the  last  monarch 
of  Shendy.  The  bloody  revenge  taken  by  Mohammed  Bey 
Defterdar  (son-in-law  of  Mohammed  Ali),  for  that  act,  sealed 
the  fate  of  the  kingdom.  The  seat  of  the  Egyptian  govern- 
ment in  Soudan  was  fixed  at  Khartoum,  which  in  a  few  years 
became  also  the  centre  of  trade,  and  now  flourishes  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Shendy  and  El  Metemma. 

Burckhardt,  who  visited  Shendy  during  the  reign  of  King 
Leopard,  devotes  much  space  to  a  description  of  the  trade  of 
the  town  at  that  time.  It  was  then  in  the  height  of  its  pros- 
perity, and  the  resort  of  merchants  from  Arabia,  Abyssinia, 
Egypt,  and  even  Syria  and  Asia  Minor.  It  was  also  one  of 
the  chief  slave-marts  of  Central  Africa,  in  which  respect  it  has 
since  been  superseded  by  Obeid,  in  Kordofan.  The  only  com- 
merce which  has  been  left  to  Shendy  is  that  with  Djidda  and 
the  other  Arabian  ports,  by  way  of  Sowakin,  on  the  Red  Sea — 
a  caravan  journey  of  fourteen  days,  through  the  country  of 
Takka,  infested  by  the  wild  tribes  of  the  Hallengas  and  Haden- 
doas.  Mek  Nemr,  according  to  Burckhardt,  was  of  the 
Djaaleyn  tribe,  who  are  descendants  of  the  Beni  Koreish,  of 
Yemen,  and  still  retain  the  pure  Arabian  features.  I  was 
afterwards,  during  my  stay  in  Khartoum,  enabled  to  verify 
the  declaration  of  the  same  traveller,  that  all  the  tribes  of 
Ethiopia  between  the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea  are  of  unmixed 
Arab  stock. 

The  palace  of  the  Governor,  which  was  a  building  of  con 


EL    METEMMA.  261 

siderable  extent,  had  heavy  circular  bastions,  which  were  de- 
fended by  cannon.  Its  position,  on  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  was 
much  more  agreeable  than  that  of  the  city,  and  the  garrison 
had  settled  around  it,  forming  a  small  village  on  its  eastern 
side.  The  white  walls  and  latticed  windows  of  the  palace 
reminded  me  of  Cairo,  and  I  anticipated  a  pleasant  residence 
within  its  walls,  on  my  return  to  Shendy.  As  I  wished  to 
reach  Khartoum  as  soon  as  possible  I  did  not  call  upon  the 
Governor,  but  sent  him  the  letter  of  recommendation  from 
Yagheshir  Bey.  From  Shendy,  one  sees  the  group  of  palms 
which  serves  as  a  landmark  to  El  Metemma,  the  capital  of  a 
former  Ethiopian  Kingdom,  further  up  the  Nile,  on  its  oppo- 
site bank.  This  is  the  starting  point  for  caravans  to  Merawe 
and  Dongola  through  the  Beyooda  Desert.  We  passed  its 
port  about  noon,  and  stopped  a  few  minutes  to  let  the  rai's  pay 
his  compliments  to  the  owner  of  our  vessel,  who  was  on  shore. 
He  was  a  little  old  man,  with  a  long  staff,  and  dressed  like  the 
meanest  Arab,  although  he  was  shekh  of  half  a  dozen  villages, 
and  had  a  servant  leading  a  fine  Dongolese  horse  behind  him. 
The  boat  of  Khalim  Bey,  agent  of  the  Governor  of  Berber  and 
Shendy,  was  at  the  landing  place,  and  we  saw  the  Bey,  a  tall, 
handsome  Turk  in  a  rich  blue  and  crimson  dress,  who  sent  a 
servant  to  ask  my  name  and  character. 

The  scenery  of  the  Nile,  southward  from  Shendy,  is  again 
changed.  The  tropical  rains  which  fall  occasionally  at  Abou- 
Hammed  and  scantily  at  Berber,  are  here  periodical,  and  there 
is  no  longer  the  same  striking  contrast  between  desert  and 
garden  land.  The  plains  extending  inward  from  the  river  are 
covered  with  a  growth  of  bushes  and  coarse  grass,  which  also 
appears  in  patches  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains.     The  inhabi- 


262  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

tants  cultivate  "but  a  narrow  strip  of  beans  and  dourra  along 
the  river,  but  own  immense  flocks  of  shqep  and  goats,  which 
afford  their  principal  sustenance.  I  noticed  many  fields  of  the 
grain  called  dookhn,  of  which  they  plant  a  larger  quantity  than 
of  dourra.  Mutton,  however,  is  the  Ethiopian's  greatest  deli- 
cacy. Notwithstanding  this  is  one  of  the  warmest  climates  in 
the  world,  the  people  eat  meat  whenever  they  can  get  it,  and 
greatly  prefer  it  to  vegetable  food.  The  sailors  and  camel- 
drivers,  whose  principal  food  is  dourra,  are,  notwithstanding  a 
certain  quality  of  endurance,  as  weak  as  children,  when  com- 
pared with  an  able-bodied  European,  and  they  universally 
attribute  this  weakness  to  their  diet.  This  is  a  fact  for  the 
lank  vegetarians  to  explain.  My  experience  coincided  with 
that  of  the  Ethiopians,  and  I  ascribed  no  small  share  of  my 
personal  health  and  strength,  which  the  violent  alternations  of 
heat  and  cold  during  the  journey  had  not  shaken  in  the  least, 
to  the  fact  of  my  having  fared  sumptuously  every  day. 

After  leaving  Shendy,  the  Nile  makes  a  bend  to  the  west,  and 
we  went  along  slowly  all  the  afternoon,  with  a  side-wind.  The 
shores  were  not  so  highly  cultivated  as  those  we  had  passed, 
and  low  hills  of  yellow  sand  began  to  show  themselves  on 
either  hand.  The  villages  were  groups  of  mud  tolcids,  with 
high,  conical  roofs,  and  the  negro  type  of  face  appeared  much 
more  frequently  among  the  inhabitants — the  result  of  amalga- 
mation with  slaves.  We  saw  numbers  of  young  crocodiles 
which  my  sailors  delighted  to  frighten  by  shouting  and  throw- 
ing sticks  at  them,  as  they  sunned  themselves  on  the  sand. 
Wild  geese  and  ducks  were  abundant,  and  the  quiet  little  coves 
along  the  shore  were  filled  with  their  young  brood.  During 
the  day  a  large  hawk  or  vulture  dashed  down  to  within  a  yard 


ESCAPE  FROM  SHIPWRECK.  263 

of  the  deck  in  the  attempt  to  snatch  a  piece  of  my  black  rani, 
which  Beshir  had  just  killed. 

The  next  morning  we  had  a  narrow  escape  from  shipwreck. 
The  wind  blew  strong  from  the  north,  as  we  reached  a  twist  in 
the  river,  where  our  course  for  several  miles  lay  to  the  north- 
west, obliging  the  men  to  take  in  sail  and  tow  the  vessel.  They 
had  reached  the  turning-point  and  the  sail  was  blowing  loose, 
while  two  sailors  lay  out  on  the  long,  limber  yard,  trying  to 
reef,  when  a  violent  gust  pulled  the  rope  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  man  on  shore,  and  we  were  carried  into  the  stream.  The 
steersman  put  the  helm  hard  up,  and  made  for  the  point  of  an 
island  which  lay  opposite,  but  the  current  was  so  strong  that  we 
could  not  reach  it.  It  blew  a  gale,  and  the  Nile  was  rough  with 
waves.  Between  the  island  and  the  southern  shore  lay  a  clus- 
ter of  sharp,  black  rocks,  and  for  a  few  minutes  we  appeared  to 
be  driving  directly  upon  them.  The  rai's  and  sailors,  with 
many  cries  of  "  0  Prophet !  0  Apostle  ! "  gave  themselves  up 
to  their  fate ;  but  the  strength  of  the  current  saved  us.  Our 
bow  just  grazed  the  edge  of  the  last  rock,  and  we  were  blown 
across  to  the  opposite  shore,  where  we  struck  hard  upon  the 
sand  and  were  obliged  to  remain  two  hours,  until  the  wind 
abated.  I  was  vexed  and  impatient  at  first,  but  remembering 
the  effect  of  a  pipe  upon  a  similar  occasion,  I  took  one,  and 
soon  became  cajm  enough  to  exclaim  :  "  it  is  the  will  of  Allah ! " 

While  the  boat  was  making  such  slow  headway,  I  went 
ashore  and  walked  an  hour  or  two  among  the  fields  of  beans 
and  dourra.  The  plains  for  several  miles  inland  were  covered 
with  dry  grass  and  thorn-trees,  and  only  needed  irrigation  to 
bloom  as  a  garden.  The  sun  was  warm,  the  bean-fields  alive 
with  bees,  and  the  wind  took  a  rich  summer  fragrance  from  the 


264  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

white  and  purple  blossoms.  Near  one  of  the  huts,  I  accosted 
a" woman  who  was  weeding  among  the  dourra.  She  told  me 
that  her  husband  had  deserted  her  and  taken  another  wife, 
leaving  her  the  charge  of  their  two  children.  He  had  also 
taken  her  three  cows  and  given  them  to  his  new  wife,  so  that 
her  only  means  of  support  was  to  gather  the  dry  grass  and  sell 
it  in  the  villages.  I  gave  her  a  few  piastres,  which  she  receiv* 
ed  gratefully.  In  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  main  bend  of 
the  river,  and  were  able  to  make  use  of  the  wind,  which  by  this 
time  was  light.  The  sailor  who  had  been  left  ashore  during 
the  gale  overtook  us,  by  walking  a  distance  of  eight  or  ten 
miles  and  swimming  one  of  the  smaller  arms  of  the  river.  The 
western  bank  of  the  river  now  became  broken  and  hilly,  occa- 
sionally overhung  by  bluffs  of  gravelly  soil,  of  a  dark  red  color. 
On  the  top  of  one  of  the  hills  there  was  a  wall,  which  the  rais 
pointed  out  to  me  as  kadeem  (ancient),  but  it  appeared  too 
dilapidated  to  repay  the  trouble  of  a  visit. 

On  the  following  day,  the  scenery  became  remarkably  wild 
and  picturesque.  After  passing  the  village  of  Derreira,  on  the 
right  bank,  the  Nile  was  studded  with  islands  of  various  sizes, 
rising  like  hillocks  from  the  water,  and  all  covered  with  the 
most  luxuriant  vegetation.  The  mimosa,  the  acacia,  the  palm, 
the  sycamore  and  the  nebbuk  nourished  together  in  rank 
growth,  with  a  profusion  of  smaller  shrubs,  and  all  were  mat- 
ted together  with  wild  green  creepers,  which  dropped  their 
long  streamers  of  pink  and  purple  blossoms  into*  the  water. 
Reefs  of  black  rock,  over  which  the  waves  foamed  impetuous- 
ly, made  the  navigation  intricate  and  dangerous.  The  banks 
of  the  river  were  high  and  steep,  and  covered  with  bushes  and 
rank  grass,  above  which  the  rustling  blades  of  the  dourra  glit- 


THE    TWELFTH    CATARACT.  265 

tered  in  the  sun.  The  country  was  thickly  populated,  and  the 
inhabitants  were  mostly  of  the  Shygheean  tribe — from  Dar 
Shygheea,  the  region  between  Dongola  and  Berber.  The  sakias 
were  tended  by  Dinka  slaves,  as  black  as  ebony,  and  with 
coarse,  brutish  faces.  At  one  point  on  the  eastern  shore,  oppo- 
site the  island  of  Bendi,  the  natives  had  collected  all  their  live 
stock,  but  for  what  purpose  I  could  not  learn.  The  shore  was 
covered  with  hundreds  of  camels,  donkeys,  sheep,  cows  and 
goats,  carefully  kept  in  separate  herds. 

After  threading  ten  miles  of  those  island  bowers,  we  ap- 
proached Djebel  Gerri,  which  we  had  seen  all  day,  ahead  of  us. 
The  Nile,  instead  of  turning  westward  around  the  flank  of  the 
mountain,  as  I  had  anticipated  from  the  features  of  the  land- 
scape, made  a  sudden  bend  to  the  south,  between  a  thick  clus- 
ter of  islands,  and  entered  the  hills.  At  this  point  there  was 
a  rapid,  extending  half-way  across  the  river.  The  natives  call 
it  a  shellal  (cataract),  although  it  deserves  the  name  no  more 
than  the  cataracts  of  Assouan  and  Wadi-Halfa.  Adopting  the 
term,  however,  which  has  been  sanctioned  by  long  usage,  this 
is  the  Twelfth  Cataract  of  the  Nile,  and  the  last  one  which  the 
traveller  meets  before  reaching  the  mountains  of  Abyssinia. 
The  stream  is  very  narrow,  compressed  between  high  hills  of 
naked  red  sandstone  rock.  At  sunset  we  were  completely  shut 
in  the  savage  solitude,  and  there  we  seemed  likely  to  remain, 
for  the  wind  came  from  all  quarters  by  turns,  and  jammed  the 
vessel  against  the  rocks,  more  than  once. 

The  narrow  terraces  of  soil  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains 

were  covered  with  dense  beds  of  long,  dry  grass,  and  as  we  lay 

moored  to  the  rocks,  I  climbed  up  to  one  of  these,  in  spite  of 

the  rais's  warnings  that  I  should  fall  in  with  lions  and  ser- 

12 


266  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

penis.  I  lay  down  in  the  warm  grass,  and  watched  the  shad- 
ows deepen  in  the  black  gorge,  as  the  twilight  died  away.  The 
zikzcik  or  crocodile-bird  twittered  along  the  shore,  and,  after 
it  became  quite  dark,  the  stillness  was  occasionally  broken  by 
the  snort  of  a  hippopotamus,  as  he  thrust  his  huge  head  above 
water,  or  by  the  yell  of  a  hyena  prowling  among  the  hills.  Talk 
of  the  pleasure  of  reading  a  traveller's  adventures  in  strange 
lands !  There  is  no  pleasure  equal  to  that  of  living  them  : 
neither  the  anticipation  nor  the  memory  of  such  a  scene  as  I 
witnessed  that  evening,  can  approach  the  fascination  of  the  re- 
ality. I  was  awakened  after  midnight  by  the  motion  of  the 
vessel,  and  looking  out  of  my  shelter  as  I  lay,  could  see  that 
we  were  slowly  gliding  through  the  foldings  of  the  stony  moun- 
tains. The  moon  rode  high  and  bright,  over  the  top  of  a  peak 
in  front,  and  the  sound  of  my  prow,  as  it  occasionally  grated 
against  the  rocks,  alone  disturbed  the  stillness  of  the  wild  pass. 
Once  the  wind  fell,  and  the  men  were  obliged  to  make  fast  to 
a  rock,  but  before  morning  we  had  emerged  from  the  mountains 
and  were  moored  to  the  bank,  to  await  daylight  for  the  passage 
of  the  last  rapid. 

In  the  mouth  of  the  pass  lies  an  island,  which  rises  into  a 
remarkable  conical  peak,  about  seven  hundred  feet  in  height. 
It  is  called  the  Rowyan  (thirst  assuaged),  while  a  lofty  summit 
of  the  range  of  Gerri  bears  the  name  of  Djcbel  Attskdn  (the 
Mountain  of  Thirst).  The  latter  stands  on  a  basis  of  arid 
sand,  whence  its  name,  but  the  Rowyan  is  encircled  by  the 
arms  of  the  Nile.  In  the  Wady  Beit-Naga,  some  three  or  four 
hours'  journey  eastward  from  the  river,  are  the  ruined  temples 
of  Naga  and  Mesowurat,  described  by  Hoskins.  The  date  of 
their  erection  has  been  ascertained  by  Lepsius  to  be  coeval 


DRINKING-    MAREESA.  267 

with  that  of  Meroe.  We  here  saw  many  crocodiles,  basking  on 
the  warm  sand-banks.  One  group  of  five  were  enormous  mon- 
sters, three  of  them  being  at  least  fifteen,  and  the  other  two 
twenty  feet  in  length.  They  lazily  dragged  their  long-  bodies 
into  the  water  as  we  approached,  but  returned  after  we  had 
passed.  The  zikzaks  were  hopping  familiarly  about  them,  on 
the  sand,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  do  service  to  the  croco- 
diles in  the  manner  related  by  the  Arabs. 

The  river  was  still  studded  with  islands — some  mere  frao-- 

o 

ments  of  rock  covered  with  bushes,  and  some  large  level  tracts, 
flourishing  with  rich  fields  of  cotton  and  dourra.  About  noon, 
we  passed  a  village  on  the  eastern  bank,  and  I  sent  Ali  and 
Beshir  ashore  to  procure  supplies,  for  my  ram  was  finished. 
Ali  found  only  one  fowl,  which  the  people  did  not  wish  to  sell, 
but,  Turk-like,  he  took  it  forcibly  and  gave  them  the  usual 
price.  Beshir  found  some  marecsa,  a  fermented  drink  made 
of  dourra,  and  for  two  piastres  procured  two  jars  of  it,  holding 
two  gallons  each,  which  were  brought  down  to  the  boat  by  a 
pair  of  sturdy  Dinka  women,  whose  beauty  was  almost  a  match 
for  Bakhita.  The  mareesa  had  an  agreeable  flavor  and  very 
little  intoxicating  property.  I  noticed,  however,  that  after 
Beshir  had  drunk  nearly  a  gallon,  he  sang  and  danced  rather 
more  than  usual,  and  had  much  to  say  of  a  sweetheart  of  his, 
who  lived  in  El-Metemma,  and  who  bore  the  charming  name 
of  Gammero-Betahadjero.  Bakhita,  after  drinking  an  equal 
portion,  complained  to  me  bitterly  of  my  white  sheep,  which 
had  nibbed  off  the  ends  of  the  woolly  twists  adorning  her  head, 
but  I  comforted  her  by  the  present  of  half  a  piastre,  for  the 
purpose  of  buying  mutton-fat. 

As   the  wind  fell,   at  sunset,  we  reached  a  long  slope   of 


2G8  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

snowy  sand,  on  the  island  of  Aussee.  Aclimct  went  to  tho 
huts  of  the  inhabitants,  where  he  was  kindly  received  and  fur- 
nished with  milk.  I  walked  for  an  hour  up  and  down  the 
beautiful  beach,  breathing  the  mild,  cool  evening  air,  heavy 
with  delicious  odors.  The  glassy  Nile  beside  me  reflected  the 
last  orange-red  hues  of  sunset,  and  the  evening  star,  burning 
with  a  white,  sparry  lustre,  made  a  long  track  of  light  across 
his  breast.  I  remembered  that  it  was  my  birth-day — the  fourth 
time  I  had  spent  my  natal  anniversary  in  a  foreign  land.  The 
first  had  been  in  Germany,  the  second  in  Italy,  the  third  in 
Mexico,  and  now  the  last,  in  the  wild  heart  of  Africa.  They 
were  all  pleasant,  but  this  was  the  best  of  all. 

When  I  returned  to  the  vessel,  I  found  my  carpet  and 
cushions  spread  on  the  sand,  and  Ali  waiting  with  my  pipe. 
The  evening  entertainment  commenced  :  I  was  listening  to  an 
Arabian  tale,  and  watching  the  figures  of  the  boatmen,  grouped 
around  a  fire  they  had  kindled  in  a  field  of  dookhn,  when  tho 
wind  came  up  with  a  sudden  gust  and  blew  out  the  folds  of  my 
idle  flag.  Instantly  the  sand  was  kicked  over  the  brands,  the 
carpet  taken  up,  all  hands  called  on  board,  and  we  dashed  away 
on  the  dark  river  with  light  hearts.  I  rose  before  sunrise  the 
next  morning  and  found  the  wind  unchanged.  We  were  sail- 
ing between  low  shores  covered  with  grain-fields,  and  a  sandy 
island  lay  in  front.  The  rai's  no  sooner  saw  me  than  he  called 
my  attention  to  the  tops  of  some  palm-trees  that  appeared  on 
the  horizon,  probably  six  or  eight  miles  distant.  They  grew 
in  the  gardens  of  Khartoum !  We  reached  the  point  pf  the 
broad,  level  island  that  divides  the  waters  of  the  two  Niles, 
and  could  soon  distinguish  the  single  minaret  and  buildings  of 
the  city.     A  boat,  coming  down  from  the  White  Nile,  passed 


ARRIVAL    AT    KHARTOUM.  2G9 

as  on  the  right,  and  another,  hound  for  Khartoum,  led  us  up 
the  Blue  Nile.  The  proper  division  between  the  two  rivers  is 
the  point  of  land  upon  which  Khartoum  is  built,  but  the  chan- 
nel separating  it  from  the  island  opposite  is  very  narrow,  and 
the  streams  do  not  fully  meet  and  mingle  their  waters  till  the 
island  is  passed. 

The  city  presented  a  picturesque — and  to  my  eyes,  accus- 
tomed to  the  mud  huts  of  the  Ethiopian  villages — a  really 
Stately  appearance,  as  we  drew  near.  The  line  of  buildings 
extended  for  more  than  a  mile  along  the  river,  and  many  of 
the  houses  were  embowered  in  gardens  of  palm,  acacia,  orange 
and  tamarind  trees.  The  Palace  of  the  Pasha  had  a  certain 
appearance  of  dignity,  though  its  walls  were  only  unburnt 
brick,  and  his  harecm,  a  white,  two-story  building,  looked  cool 
and  elegant  amid  the  palms  that  shaded  it.  Egyptian  soldiers, 
in  their  awkward,  half-Frank  costume,  were  lounging  on  the 
bank  before  the  Palace,  and  slaves  of  inky  blackness,  resplen- 
dent in  white  and  red  livery,  were  departing  on  donkeys  on 
their  various  errands.  The  slope  of  the  bank  was  broken  at 
short  intervals  by  water-mills,  and  files  of  men  with  skins,  and 
women  with  huge  earthen  jars  on  their  heads,  passed  up  and 
down  between  the  water's  edge  and  the  openings  of  the  narrow 
janes  leading  between  the  gardens  into  the  city.  The  boat  of 
the  Governor  of  Berber,  rowed  by  twelve  black  slaves,  put  off 
from  shore,  and  moved  slowly  down  stream,  against  the  north 
wind,  as  we  drew  up  and  moored  the  America  below  the  gar- 
den of  the  Catholic  Mission.  It  was  the  twelfth  of  January ; 
I  had  made  the  journey  from  Assouan  to  Khartoum  in  twenty- 
six  days,  and  from  Cairo  in  fifty-seven. 


270  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


CHAPTER     XXI. 

LIFE       IN      KHARTOUM. 

The  American  Flag — A  Rencontre — Search  for  a  House — The  Austrian  Consular  Agent 
— Description  of  his  Residence — The  Garden — The  Menagerie— Barbaric  Pomp  and 
State— Picturesque  Character  of  the  Society  of  Khartoum— Foundation  and  Growth 
of  the  City — Its  Appearance— The  Population — Unhealthiness  of  the  Climate- 
Assembly  of  Ethiopian  Chieftains— Visit  of  Two  Shckhs — Dinner  and  Fireworks. 

At  tlie  time  of  my  arrival  in  Khartoum,  there  were  not  more 
than  a  dozen  vessels  in  port,  and  the  only  one  which  would  pass 
for  respectable  in  Egypt  was  the  Pasha's  dahabiyeh.  I  had 
but  an  open  merchant-boat,  yet  my  green  tent  and  flag  gave  it 
quite  a  showy  air,  and  I  saw  that  it  created  some  little  sensa- 
tion among  the  spectators.  The  people  looked  at  the  flag  with 
astonishment,  for  the  stars  and  stripes  had  never  before  been 
seen  in  Khartoum.  At  the  earnest  prayer  of  the  rai's,  who 
was  afraid  the  boat  would  be  forcibly  impressed  into  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Government,  and  was  anxious  to  get  back  to  his 
sick  family  in  El  Metemma,  I  left  the  flag  flying  until  he  was 
ready  to  leave.  Old  Bakhita,  in  her  dumb,  ignorant  way,  ex- 
pressed great  surprise  and  grief  when  she  learned  that  Achmet 
and  I  were  going  to  desert  the  vessel.     She  had  an  indefinite 


SEARCH    FOR    A    HOUSE.  27 1 

idea  that  we  had  become  part  and  parcel  of  it,  and  would  re« 
main  on  board  for  the  rest  of  our  lives. 

I  took  Achmet  and  started  immediately  in  search  of  a 
house,  as  in  those  lands  a  traveller  who  wishes  to  be  respect- 
able, must  take  a  residence  on  arriving  at  a  city,  even  if  he 
only  intends  to  stay  two  or  three  days.  Over  the  mud  walls 
on  either  side  of  the  lane  leading  up  from  the  water,  I  could 
look  into  wildernesses  of  orange,  date,  fig  and  pomegranate 
trees,  oleanders  in  bloom  and  trailing  vines.  We  entered  a 
tolerable  street,  cleanly  swept,  and  soon  came  to  a  coffee-house. 
Two  or  three  persons  were  standing  at  the  door,  one  of  whom 
— a  fat,  contented-looking  Turk — eyed  Achmet  sharply.  The 
two  looked  at  each  other  a  moment  in  mutual  doubt  and  aston- 
ishment, and  then  fell  into  each  other's  arms.  It  was  a  Syrian 
merchant,  whom  Achmet  had  known  in  Cairo  and  Beyrout. 
"  0  master ! "  said  he,  his  dark  face  radiant  with  delight,  as 
he  clasped  the  hand  of  the  Syrian :  "  there  never  was  such  a 
lucky  journey  as  this  ! " 

The  merchant,  who  had  been  two  years  in  Khartoum,  ac- 
companied us  in  our  search.  We  went  first  to  the  residence 
of  the  shekh  of  the  quarter,  who  was  not  at  home.  Two  small 
boys,  the  sons  of  one  of  a  detachment  of  Egyptian  physicians, 
who  had  recently  arrived,  received  me.  They  complained  bit- 
terly of  Soudan,  and  longed  to  get  back  again  to  Cairo.  We 
then  went  to  the  Governor  of  the  city,  but  he  was  absent  in 
Kordofan.  Finally,  in  wandering  about  the  streets,  we  met  a 
certain  Ali  Effendi,  who  took  us  to  a  house  which  would  be 
vacant  the  next  day.  It  was  a  large  mud  palace,  containing  an 
outer  and  inner  divan,  two  sleeping  rooms,  a  kitchen,  store- 
rooms, apartments  for  servants,  and  an  inclosed  court-yard  and 


272  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

stables,  all  of  which  were  to  be  had  at  one  hundred  piastres  a 
month — an  exorbitant  price,  as  I  afterwards  learned.  Before 
engaging  it,  I  decided  to  ask  the  advice  of  the  Austrian  Con- 
sular Agent,  Dr.  Reitz,  for  whom  I  had  letters  from  the  Eng- 
lish and  Austrian  Consuls  in  Cairo.  He  received  me  with  true 
German  cordiality,  and  would  hear  of  nothing  else  but  that  I 
should  immediately  take  possession  of  an  unoccupied  room  in 
his  house.  Accordingly  the  same  day  of  my  arrival  beheld  me 
installed  in  luxurious  quarters,  with  one  of  the  most  brave, 
generous  and  independent  of  men  as  my  associate. 

As  the  Consul's  residence  was  the  type  of  a  house  of  the 
best  class  in  Khartoum,  a  description  of  it  may  give  some  idea 
of  life  in  the  place,  under  the  most  agreeable  circumstances. 
The  ground-plot  was  one  hundred  and  thirty  paces  square,  and 
surrounded  by  a  high  mud  wall.  Inside  of  this  stood  the  dwell- 
ing, which  was  about  half  that  length,  and  separated  from  it 
by  a  narrow  garden  and  court-yard.  Entering  the  court  by 
the  gate,  a  flight  of  steps  conducted  to  the  divan,  or  recep- 
tion-room, in  the  second  story.  From  the  open  ante-chamber 
one  might  look  to  the  south  over  the  gray  wastes  of  Sennaar, 
or,  if  the  sun  was  near  his  setting,  see  a  reach  in  the  White 
Nile,  flashing  like  the  point  of  an  Arab  spear.  The  divan  had 
a  cushioned  seat  around  three  sides  and  matting  on  the  floor, 
and  was  really  a  handsome  room,  although  its  walls  were  mud. 
covered  with  a  thin  coating  of  lime,  and  its  roof  palm-logs 
overlaid  with  coarse  matting,  on  which  rested  a  layer  of  mud 
a  foot  thick.  In  the  second  story  were  also  the  Consular  Of- 
fice and  a  sleeping  room.  The  basement  contained  the  kitchen, 
store-rooms,  and  servants'  rooms.  The  remainder  of  the  house 
was  only  one  story  in  height,  and  had  a  balcony  looking  on  the 


THE    MENAGERIE.  273 

garden,  and  completely  embowered  In  flowering  vines.  The 
only  rooms  were  the  dining  hall,  with  cushioned  divans  on  each- 
side  and  a  drapery  of  the  Austrian  colors  at  the  end,  and  my 
apartment,  which  overlooked  a  small  garden-court,  wherein  two 
large  ostriches  paced  up  and  clown,  and  a  company  of  wild 
geese  and  wild  swine  made  continual  discord.  The  court  at 
the  entrance  communicated  with  the  stables,  which  contained 
the  Consul's  horses — a  white  steed,  of  the  pure  Arabian  blood 
of  Nedjid,  and  the  red  stallion  appropriated  to  my  use,  which 
was  sent  by  the  King  of  Dar-Fur  to  Lattif  Pasha,  and  present- 
ed by  him  to  the  Consul.  A  liejin,  or  trained  dromedary,  of 
unusual  size,  stood  in  the  court,  and  a  tame  lioness  was  tied  to 
a  stake  in  the  corner.  She  was  a  beautiful  and  powerful  beast, 
and  I  never  passed  her  without  taking  her  head  between  my 
knees,  or  stroking  her  tawny  hide  until  she  leaned  against  me 
like  a  cat  and  licked  my  hand. 

Passing  through  a  side-door  into  the  garden,  we  came  upon 
a  whole  menagerie  of  animals.  Under  the  long  arbors,  cover- 
ed with  luxuriant  grape-vines,  stood  two  surly  hyenas,  a  wild 
ass  from  the  mountains  of  the  Atbara,  and  an  Abyssinian  mule. 
A  tall  marabout  (a  bird  of  the  crane  species,  with  a  pouch-bill), 
stalked  about  the  garden,  occasionally  bending  a  hinge  in  the 
middle  of  his  long  legs,  and  doubling  them  backwards,  so  that 
he  used  half  of  them  for  a  scat.  Adjoining  the  stable  was  a 
large  sheep-yard,  in  which  were  gathered  together  gazelles, 
strange  varieties  of  sheep  and  goats  from  the  countries  of  the 
White  Nile,  a  virgin-crane,  and  a  large  antilopus  Icucoryj:, 
from  Kordofan,  with  curved  horns  four  feet  in  length.  My 
favorite,  however,  was  the  leopard,  which  was  a  most  playful 
and  affectionate  creature,  except  at  meal-time  He  was  not 
12* 


274  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

more  than  half  grown,  and  had  all  the  wiles  of  an  intelligent 
kitten,  climbing  his  post  and  springing  upon  me,  or  creeping 
up  slyly  and  seizing  my  ankle  in  his  mouth.  The  garden, 
which  was  watered  by  a  well  and  string  of  buckets  turned  by 
an  ox,  had  a  rich  variety  of  fruit  trees.  The  grape  season  was 
just  over,  though  I  had  a  few  of  the  last  bunches ;  figs  were 
ripening  from  day  to  day,  oranges  and  lemons  were  in  fruit 
and  flower,  bananas  blooming  for  another  crop,  and  the  pome- 
granate and  Jcishtehj  or  custard-apple,  hung  heavy  on  the 
branches.  There  was  also  a  plantation  of  date-trees  and  su- 
gar-cane, and  a  great  number  of  ornamental  shrubs. 

In  all  these  picturesque  features  of  my  residence  in  Khar- 
toum, I  fully  realized  that  I  had  at  last  reached  Central  Afri- 
ca. In  our  mode  of  life,  also,  there  was  a  rich  flavor  of  that 
barbaric  pomp  and  state  which  one  involuntarily  associates 
with  the  name  of  Soudan.  "We  arose  at  dawn,  and  at  sunrise 
were  in  the  saddle.  Sometimes  I  mounted  the  red  stallion,  of 
the  wild  breed  of  Dar-Fur,  and  sometimes  one  of  the  Consul's 
tall  and  fleet  dromedaries.  Six  dark  attendants,  in  white  and 
scarlet  dresses,  followed  us  on  dromedaries,  and  two  grooms 
on  foot  ran  before  us,  to  clear  a  way  through  the  streets.  Af- 
ter passing  through  Khartoum,  we  frequently  made  long  excur- 
sions up  the  banks  of  the  two  Niles,  or  out  upon  the  boundless 
plain  between  them.  In  this  way,  I  speedily  became  familiar 
with  the  city  and  its  vicinity,  and  as,  on  our  return,  I  always 
accompanied  the  Consul  on  all  his  visits  to  the  various  digni- 
taries, I  had  every  opportunity  of  studying  the  peculiar  life  of 
the  place,  and  gaining  some  idea  of  its  governing  principles. 
As  the  only  city  of  Central  Africa  which  has  a  regular  com- 
munication with  the  Mediterranean  (by  which  it  occasionally 


SOCIETY    IN    KHARTOUM. 


215 


receives  a  ray  of  light  from  the  civilized  world  beyond),  it  has 
become  a  capital  on  a  small  scale,  and  its  society  is  a  curious 
compound  of  Christian,  Turk  and  Barbarian.  On  the  same 
day,  I  have  had  a  whole  sheep  set  before  me,  in  the  house  of 
an  Ethiopian  Princess,  who  wore  a  ring  in  her  nose ;  taken 
coffee  and  sherbet  with  the  Pasha ;  and  drank  tea,  prepared  in 
the  true  English  style,  in  the  parlor  of  a  European.  When 
to  these  remarkable  contrasts  is  added  the  motley  character  of 
its  native  population,  embracing  representatives  from  almost 
every  tribe  between  Dar-Fur  and  the  Red  Sea,  between  Egypt 
and  the  Negro  kingdoms  of  the  White  Nile,  it  will  readily  be 
seen  hovf  rich  a  field  of  observation  Khartoum  offers  to  the 
traveller.  Nevertheless,  those  who  reside  there,  almost  with- 
out exception,  bestow  upon  the  city  and  country  all  possible 
maledictions.  Considered  as  a  place  of  residence,  other  ques- 
tions come  into  play,  and  they  are  perhaps  not  far  wrong. 

Khartoum  is  the  most  remarkable — I  had  almost  said  the 
only  example  of  physical  progress  in  Africa,  in  this  century. 
Where,  thirty  years  ago,  there  was  not  even  a  dwelling,  unless 
it  might  be  the  miserable  tokul,  or  straw  hut  of  the  Ethiopian 
Fellah,  now  stands  a  city  of  some  thirty  or  forty  thousand  in- 
habitants, daily  increasing  in  size  and  importance,  and  gradual- 
ly drawing  into  its  mart  the  commerce  of  the  immense  regions 
of  Central  Africa,  Its  foundation,  I  believe,  is  due  to  Ismail 
Pasha  (son  of  Mohammed  Ali),  who,  during  his  conquests  of 
the  kingdoms  of  Shendy  and  Sennaar,  in  the  years  1821  and 
1822,  recognized  the  importance,  in  a  military  and  commercial 
sense,  of  establishing  a  post  at  the  confluence  of  the  two  Niles. 
Mohammed  Bey  Deftcrdar,  who  succeeded  him,  seconded  the 
plan,  and  ere  long  it  was   determined  to  make  Khartoum,  on 


270  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

account  of  its  central  position,  the  capital  of  the  Egyptian 
pashalik  of  Soudan.  Standing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Blue  Nile, 
which  flows  down  from  the  gold  and  iron  mountains  of  Abys- 
sinia, and  of  the  White  Nile,  the  only  avenue  to  a  dozen  Negro 
kingdoms,  rich  in  ivory  and  gum,  and  being  nearly  equidistant 
from  the  conquered  provinces  of  Scnnaar,  Kordofan,  Shendy 
and  Berber,  it  speedily  outgrew  the  old  Ethiopian  cities,  and 
drew  to  itself  the  greater  part  of  their  wea4th  and  commercial 
activity.  Now  it  is  the  metropolis  of  all  the  eastern  part  of 
Soudan,  and  the  people  speak  of  it  in  much  the  same  style  as 
the  Egyptians  speak  of  their  beloved  Cairo. 

The  town  is  larger,  cleaner  and  better  built  than  any  of 
the  cities  of  Upper  Egypt,  except  perhaps  Siout.  It  extends 
for  about  a  mile  along  the  bank  of  the  Blue  Nile,  facing  the 
north,  and  is  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  its  greatest  breadth. 
The  part  next  the  river  is  mostly  taken  up  with  the  gardens 
and  dwellings  of  Beys  and  other  government  officers,  and  weal- 
thy merchants.  The  gardens  of  the  Pasha,  of  Mous'sa  Bey, 
Musakar  Bey  and  the  Catholic  Mission  are  all  large  and  beau- 
tiful, and  towards  evening,  when  the  north  wind  rises,  shower 
the  fragrance  of  their  orange  and  mimosa  blossoms  over  the 
whole  town.  The  dwellings,  which  stand  in  them,  cover  a 
large  space  of  ground,  but  are,  for  the  most  part,  onlv  one 
story  in  height,  as  the  heavy  summer  rains  would  speedily  beat 
down  mud  walls  of  greater  height.  The  Pasha's  palace,  which 
was  built  during  the  year  previous  to  my  visit,  is  of  burnt 
brick,  much  of  which  was  taken  from  the  ancient  Christian 
ruins  of  Abou-Harass,  on  the  Blue  Nile.  It  is  a  quadrangu- 
lar building,  three  hundred  feet  square,  with  a  large  open  court 
in  the  centre.     Its  front  formed  one  side  of  a  square,  which 


THE    CITY    AND    POPULATION.  277 

when  complete,  will  be  surrounded  by  other  offices  of  govern 
incut.  For  Soudan,  it  is  a  building  of  some  pretension,  and 
the  Pasha  took  great  pride  in  exhibiting  it.  He  told  me  that 
the  Arab  shekhs  who  visited  him  would  not  believe  that  it  was 
the  work  of  man  alone.  Allah  must  have  helped  him  to  raise 
such  a  wonderful  structure.  It  has  an  inclosed  arched  corri- 
dor in  front,  in  the  Italian  style,  and  a  square  tower  over  the 
entrance.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  Abdallah  Effendi  was 
building  a  very  handsome  two-story  house  of  burnt  brick,  and 
the  Catholic  priests  intended  erecting  another,  as  soon  as  they 
should  have  established  themselves  permanently.  Within  a 
few  months,  large  additions  had  been  made  to  the  bazaar, 
while  the  houses  of  the  slaves,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
were  constantly  springing  up  like  ant-hills. 

There  is  no  plan  whatever  in  the  disposition  of  the  build- 
ings'. Each  man  surrounds  his  property  with  a  mud  wall,  re- 
gardless of  its  location  with  respect  to  others,  and  in  going 
from  one  point  to  another,  one  is  obliged  to  make  the  most 
perplexing  zigzags.  I  rarely  ventured  far  on  foot,  as  I  soon 
became  bewildered  in  the  labyrinth  of  blank  walls.  When 
mounted  on  the  Consul's  tallest  dromedary,  I  looked  down  on 
the  roofs  of  the  native  houses,  and  could  take  nr*  bearings 
without  difficulty.  All  the  mysteries  of  the  lower,  life  of 
Khartoum  were  revealed  to  me,  from  such  a  lofty  post,  Oa 
each  side  I  looked  into  pent  yards  where  the  miserable  Arab 
and  Negro  families  lazily  basked  in  the  sun  during  the  day,  or 
into  the  filthy  nests  where  they  crawled  at  night.  The  swarms 
of  children  which  they  bred  in  those  dens  sat  naked  in  the 
dust,  playing  with  vile  yellow  dogs,  and  sometimes  a  lean  bur- 
den camel  stood  in  the  corner.     The  only  furniture  to  be  seep 


278  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

was  a  water-skin,  a  few  pots  and  jars,  a  basket  or  two,  and 
sometimes  an  aiigareh,  or  coarse  wooden  frame  covered  with  a 
netting  of  ropes,  and  serving  as  seat  and  bed.  Nearly  half  the 
population  of  the  place  are  slaves,  brought  from  the  mountains 
above  Fazogl,  or  from  the  land  of  the  Dinkas,  on  the  White 
Nile.  One's  commiseration  of  these  degraded  races  is  almost 
overcome  by  his  disgust  with  their  appearance  and  habits,  and 
I  found  even  the  waste  plain  that  stretches  towards  Sennaar  a 
relief  after  threading  the  lanes  of  the  quarters  where  they  live. 

Notwithstanding  the  nature  of  its  population,  Khartoum 
is  kept  commendably  neat  and  clean.  It  will  be  a  lucky  day 
for  Rome  and  Florence  when  their  streets  exhibit  no  more 
filth  than  those  of  this  African  city.  The  bazaars  only,  are 
swept  every  morning,  but  the  wind  performs  this  office  for  the 
remainder  of  the  streets.  The  soog,  or  market,  is  held  in  a 
free  space,  opening  upon  the  inland  plain,  where  the  country 
people  bring  their  sheep,  fowls,  camels,  dourra,  vegetables  and 
other  common  products.  The  slaughtering  of  animals  takes 
place  every  morning  on  the  banks  of  the  Blue  Nile,  east  of  the 
city,  which  is  thus  entirely  free  from  the  effluvia  arising  there- 
from. Here  the  sheep,  cows,  goats  and  camels  are  killed, 
skinned  and  quartered  in  the  open  air,  and  it  is  no  unusual 
thing  to  see  thirty  or  forty  butchers  at  work  on  as  many  dif- 
ferent animals,  each  surrounded  by  an  attendant  group  of  vul- 
tures, hawks,  cranes,  crows  and  other  carnivorous  birds.  They 
are  never  molested  by  the  people,  and  we  sometimes  rode 
through  thousands  of  them,  which  had  so  gorged  themselves 
that  they  scarcely  took  the  trouble  to  move  out  of  our  way. 

The  place  labors  under  the  disadvantage  of  being  the  most 
unhealthy  part  of  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  regions  in  ths 


THE    CLIMATE.  279 

world.  From  the  southern  frontier  of  Nubia,  where  the  tropi- 
cal rains  begin  to  fall,  to  the  table-land  of  Abyssinia  on  the 
south,  and  as  far  up  the  White  Nile  as  has  yet  been  explored, 
Soudan  is  devastated  by  fevers  of  the  most  malignant  charac- 
ter. The  summers  are  fatal  to  at  least  one-half  of  the  Turks, 
Egyptians  and  Europeans  who  make  their  residence  there,  and 
the  natives  themselves,  though  the  mortality  is  not  so  great 
among  them,  rarely  pass  through  the  year  without  an  attack 
of  fever.  I  arrived  during  the  most  healthy  part  of  the  year, 
and  yet  of  all  the  persons  I  saw,  three-fourths  were  complain- 
ing of  some  derangement  of  the  system.  The  military  hospi- 
tal, which  I  visited,  was  filled  with  cases  of  fever,  dysentery 
and  small-pox.  I  was  in  such  good  bodily  condition  from  my 
journey  through  the  Desert  that  I  could  scarcely  conceive  the 
sensation  of  sickness,  and  the  generous  diet  and  invigorating 
exercise  I  enjoyed  secured  me  from  all  fear  of  an  attack. 
Travellers  are  not  agreed  as  to  the  cause  of  this  mortality  in 
Soudan.  Some  attribute  it  to  the  presence  of  infusoria)  in  the 
water ;  yet  we  drank  the  pure,  mountain-born  flood  of  the  Blue 
Nile,  and  filtered  it  beforehand.  I  am  disposed  to  side  with 
Ilusseggcr,  who  accounts  for  it  entirely  by  the  miasma  arising 
from  decayed  vegetation,  during  the  intense  heats.  The  coun- 
try around  Khartoum  is  a  dead  level ;  the  only  mountain  to 
be  seen  is  the  long  ridge  of  Djebel  Gerrari,  twelve  miles  to  the 
north.  Behind  the  town,  the  White  Nile  curves  to  the  east, 
and  during  the  inundation  his  waters  extend  even  to  the  sub- 
urbs, almost  insulating  the  place.  The  unusual  sickness  of  the 
winter  of  1852  might  be  accounted  for  by  the  inundation  of 
the  previous  summer,  which  was  so  much  higher  than  ordinary 
that  the  people  were  obliged  to  erect  dykes  to  keep  the  watei 


280  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

out  of  the  streets.  The  opposite  bank  of  the  river  is  consider- 
ed more  healthy;  and  in  the  town  of  Halfay,  only  ten  miles 
distant,  the  average  mortality  is  much  less. 

I  was  fortunate  in  reaching  Khartoum  at  a  very  interesting 
period.  All  the  principal  sliekhs  of  the  different  tribes  be- 
tween the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea  were  then  collected  there, 
and  as  Dr.  Reitz  was  on  friendly  terms  with  all  of  them,  I 
had  the  opportunity  of  making  their  acquaintance,  and  could 
have  readily  procured  a  safe-conduct  through  their  territories, 
if  I  had  been  disposed  to  make  explorations  in  that  direction. 

During  the  summer  there  had  been  trouble  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Sennaar,  and  a  general  movement  against  the 
Egyptian  rule  was  feared.  In  October  and  November,  how- 
ever, Moussa  Bey  made  a  campaign  in  the  regions  about  and 
beyond  the  Atbara,  and  returned  with  the  chief  malcontents 
in  chains.  They  were  afterwards  liberated,  but  had  been  re- 
tained in  Khartoum  until  some  disputed  questions  should  be 
settled.  On  the  night  of  my  arrival,  the  consul  received  a 
visit  of  ceremony  from  the  two  principal  ones  :  Hamed,  the 
chief  shekh  of  the  Bisharees,  and  Owd-el-Kerim,  son  of  the 
great  shekh  of  the  Shukorees,  which  inhabit  the  wide  territory 
between  the  Atbara  and  the  Blue  Nile.  They  were  accom- 
panied by  several  attendants,  and  by  Mohammed  Kheyr,  the 
commander  of  the  Shygheean  cavalry  employed  in  the  late  ex- 
pedition. The  latter  was  a  fierce-looking  black  in  rich  Turk- 
ish costume. 

Hamed  was  a  man  of  middle  size,  black,  but  with  straight 
features  and  a  mild,  serious  expression  of  face.  He  was  dress- 
ed in  white,  as  .well  as  his  attendant  whose  bushy  hair  was 
twisted  into  countless  strings  and  pierced  with  a  new  wooder 


VISIT    OF    All\B    SHEKIIS.  281 

skewer.  The  Shukoree  shc-kh  arrived  last.  We  were  seated 
on  the  divan,  and  all  rose  when  he  entered.  He  was  a  tall. 
powerful  man,  with  large,  jet-black  eyes  and  a  bold,  fierce  face. 
He  wore  a  white  turban  and  flowing  robes  of  the  same  color, 
with  a  fringe  and  stripe  of  crimson  around  the  border.  The 
Consul  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  carpet  to  meet  him,  when 
the  shekh  opened  his  arms  and  the  two  fell  upon  each  other's 
necks.  Coffee  and  pipes  were  then  served,  and  water  was 
brought  for  the  washing  preparatory  to  dinner.  Hamed  and 
the  Shygheean  captain  washed  only  their  hands,  but  the  great 
Owd-el-Kerim  washed  his  hands,  face  and  feet,  and  occupied 
nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  his  devotions,  bowing  his  head 
many  times  to  the  earth  and  repeating  the  name  of  Allah  with 
deep  emphasis.  We  passed  through  the  garden  to  ^-he  dining- 
room,  where  the  shekhs  were  greatly  amazed  at  seeing  a  table 
set  in  European  style.  They  all  failed  in  managing  the  knives 
and.  forks,  except  Owd-el-Kerim,  who  watched  the  Consul  and 
myself,  and  did  his  part  with  dignity.  Achmet  had  made  a 
vermicelli  soup,  which  they  eyed  very  suspiciously,  and  did  not 
venture  to  take  more  than  a  few  mouthfuls.  They  no  doubt 
went  away  with  the  full  belief  that  the  Franks  devour  worms. 
They  were  at  a  loss  how  to  attack  the  roast  mutton,  until  I 
carved  it  for  them,  but  did  such  execution  with  their  fingers 
among  the  stews  and  salads  that  the  dishes  were  soon  emptied. 
After  they  had  again  partaken  of  coffee  and  pipes  in  the 
divan,  the  Consul  ordered  two  or  three  rockets,  which  had  been 
left  from  his  Christmas  celebration,  to  be  sent  up  in  order  to 
satisfy  the  curiosity  of  his  guests,  who  had  heard  much  of 
those  wonderful  fires,  which  had  amazed  all  Khartoum,  three 
weeks  before.     The  shekhs  and  attendants  were  grouped  oh 


282  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  balcony,  when  the  first  rocket  shot  hissing  into  the  air, 
drew  its  fiery  curve  through  the  darkness,  and  burst  into  a 
rain  of  yellow  stars.  "Wallah!"  and  "  Mashallah  1 '"  were 
echoed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  the  desert  chiefs  could 
scarcely  contain  themselves,  from  astonishment  and  delight. 
The  second  rocket  went  up  quite  near  to  us,  and  sooner  than 
was  expected.  Hamed,  the  Bisharee  shekh,  was  so  startled 
that  he  threw  both  his  arms  around  the  Consul  and  held  fast 
for  dear  life,  and  even  the  great  Owd-el-Kerim  drew  a  long 
breath  and  ejaculated,  "God  is  great!"  They  then  took 
their  leave,  deeply  impressed  with  the  knowledge  and  wisdom 
of  the  Franks. 


VISIT    TO    TUE    CATHOLIC    MISSION.  283 


CHAPTER     XXII. 

VISITS       IN       KHARTOUM. 

Visit  to  the  Catholic  Mission— Dr.  Knoblecher,  tho  Apostolic  Vicar—  Moussa  Bey- 
Visit  to  Lattif  Pasha—  Reception— The  Pasha's  Palace— Lions— We  Dine  with  the 
Pasha— Ceremonies  upon  th^Occasion— Music— The  Guests— The  Franks  in  Khar- 
toum—Dr.  Peney— Visit  to  the  Sultana  Nasra— An  Ethiopian  Dinner— Character 
of  the  Sultana. 

On  the  day  of  my  arrival,  Dr.  Reitz  proposed  a  visit  to  Dr. 
Knoblecher,  the  Apostolic  Yicar  of  the  Catholic  Missions  in 
Central  Africa,  who  had  returned  to  Khartoum  about  twenty 
days  previous.  The  Vicar's  name  was  already  familiar  to  me, 
from  the  account  of  his  voyage  up  the  White  Nile  in  1850, 
which  was  published  in  the  German  journals  during  his  visit 
to  Europe,  and  it  had  been  my  design  to  propose  joining  his 
party,  in  case  he  had  carried  out  his  plan  of  making  a  second 
voyage  in  the  winter  of  1852.  He  ascended  as  far  as  lat.  4° 
north,  or  about  sixty  miles  beyond  the  point  reached  by  D'Ar- 
naud  and  Werne,  and  therefore  stands  at  the  head  of  Nilotic 
explorers. 

Preceded  by  two  attendants,  we  walked  through  the  town 
to  the  Catholic  Mission,  a  spacious  one-story  building  in  a  large 
garden  near  the  river.     Entering  a  court,  in  the    centre  of 


284  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

which  grew  a  tall  tamarind  tree,  we  were  received  by  an  Italian 
monk,  in  flowing  robes,  who  conducted  us  into  a  second  court, 
inclosed  by  the  residence  of  the  Yicar.  Here  we  met  two  other 
priests,  a  German  and  a  Hungarian,  dressed  in  flowing  Orien- 
tal garments.  They  ushered  us  into  a  large  room,  carpeted 
with  matting,  and  with  a  comfortable  divan  around  the  sides. 
The  windows  looked  into  a  garden,  which  was  filled  with 
orange,  fig  and  banana  trees,  and  fragrant  with  jasmine  and 
mimosa  blossoms.  "We  had  scarcely  seated  ourselves,  when 
the  monks  rose  and  remained  standing,  while  Dr.  Knoblccher 
entered.  He  was  a  small  man,  slightly  and  rather  delicately 
built,  and  not  more  than  thirty-five  years  of  age.  His  com- 
plexion was  fair,  his  eyes  a  grayish  bli*e,  and  his  beard,  which 
he  wore  flowing  upon  his  breast,  a  very  decided  auburn.  His 
face  was  or.e  of  those  which  wins  not  only  kindness  but  confi- 
dence from  all  the  world.  His  dress  consisted  of  a  white  tur- 
ban, and  a  flowing  robe  of  dark  purple  cloth.  He  is  a  man  of 
thorough  cultivation,  conversant  with  several  lano-ua^es,  and 
possesses  an  amount  of  scientific  knowledge  which  will  make 
his  future  explorations  valuable  to  the  world.  During  my 
stay  in  Khartoum  I  visited  him  frequently,  and  derived  from 
him  much  information  concerning  the  countries  of  Soudan  and 
their  inhabitants. 

On  our  return  we  called  upon  Moussa  Bey,  the  commander 
of  the  expedition  sent  into  the  lands  of  the  Shukorees  and  the 
Hallengas,  the  foregoing  summer.  He  was  then  ill  of  a  fever 
and  confined  to  his  bed,  but  we  entered  the  room  without  cere- 
mony, and  found  with  him  the  new  Governor  of  Berber  and 
Abd-el-Kader  Bey,  the  Governor  of  Kordofan,  besides  several 
secretaries  and  attendants.     Moussa  Bey  was  a  Turk,  perhaps 


VISIT    TO    LATTIF    PASHA.  285 

fifty  years  of  age,  and  had  a  strong,   sturdy,  energetic   face. 
Several  Arab  sheklis,  some  of  whom  had  been  taker,   pri 
in  the  late  expedition,  were  lounging  about  the  court-yards. 

The  day  after  my  arrival,  Dr.  Eeitz  presented  me  to  Lattif 
Pasha,  the  Governor  of  Soudan.  The  Egyptian  officials  in 
Khartoum  generally  consider  themselves  as  exiles,  and  a  sta- 
tion in  Soudan  carries  with  it  a  certain  impression  of  disgrace. 
For  the  Pasha,  however,  it  is  an  office  of  great  importance  and 
responsibility,  and  its  duties  are  fully  as  arduous  as  those  of 
the  Viceroy  of  Egypt  himself.  The  provinces  under  his  rule 
constitute  a  territory  of  greater  extent  than  France,  and  there 
are  as  many  factious  among  the  native  tribes  as  parties  an 
the  French  politicians.  It  is  moreover,  in  many  respects,  an 
independent  sovereignty.  Its  great  distance  from  the  seat  of 
authority,  and  the  absence  of  any  regular  means  of  communica- 
tion except  the  government  post,  gives  the  Pasha  of  Soud  m 
opportunities  of  which  he  never  fails  to  avail  himself.  Ac-burnt 
Pasha  at  one  time  so  strengthened  himself  here  that  he  defied 
even  Mohammed  Ali,  and  it  is  still  whispered  that  foul  means 
were  used  to  get  rid  of  him.  Since  then,  rotation  in  office  is 
found  to  be  good  policy,  and  the  Egyptian  Government  is  care- 
ful to  remove  a  Pasha  before  he  has  made  himself  dangerous. 
From  the  Turks  and  Europeans  in  Khartoum,  I  heard  little 
o-ood  of  Lattif  Pasha.      His  character  was  said  to  be  violent 

o 

and  arbitrary,  and  several  most  savage  acts  were  attributed  to 
him.  One  thing,  however,  was  said  in  favor  of  him,  and  it 
was  a  great  redeeming  trait  in  those  lands  :  he  did  not  enrich 
himself  by  cheating  the  government.  At  the  time  of  my  visit 
it  was  understood  that  he  bad  been  recalled,  and  was  to  be  su- 
perseded by  Ilustum  Pasha. 


286  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

We  found  the  Pasha  seated  on  his  divan,  with  a  secretary 
before  him,  reading  a  file  of  documents.  The  guards  at  the 
door  presented  arms  as  we  entered,  and  the  Pasha  no  sooner 
saw  us  than  he  rose,  and  remained  standing  till  we  came  up. 
The  Consul  presented  me,  and  we  seated  ourselves  on  the  di- 
van, separated  from  him  by  a  pair  of  cushions.  Pipes  were 
brought  to  us  by  black  slaves,  and  after  a  few  common-places, 
he  turned  again  to  his  business.  The  Secretary  was  reading 
despatches  to  the  different  provinces  of  Soudan.  As  fast  as 
each  was  approved  and  laid  aside,  a  Memlook  slave  of  fifteen, 
who  appeared  to  fill  the  office  of  page,  stamped  them  with  the 
Pasha's  seal,  in  lieu  of  signature.  When  the  affairs  were  con- 
cluded, the  Pasha  turned  to  us  and  entered  into  conversation. 
lie  was  a  man  of  forty-five  years  of  age,  of  medium  height,  but 
stoutly  built,  and  with  regular  and  handsome  features.  His 
complexion  was  a  pale  olive,  his  eyes  large  and  dark,  and  he 
wore  a  black  beard  and  moustaches,  very  neatly  trimmed.  His 
mouth  was  full,  and  when  he  smiled,  showed  a  perfect  set  of 
strong  white  teeth,  which  gave  a  certain  grimness  to  his  ex- 
pression. His  manner  was  refined,  but  had  that  feline  smooth- 
ness which  invariably  covers  sharp  claws.  If  I  had  met  him 
in  London  or  Paris,  in  Frank  costume,  I  should  have  set  him 
down  as  the  primo  basso  of  the  Italian  Opera.  He  was  plain- 
ly dressed  in  a  suit  of  dark-blue  cloth,  and  wore  a  small  tar- 
boosh on  his  head. 

Our  conversation  first  turned  upon  America,  and  finally 
upon  steam  navigation  and  maritime  affairs  in  general.  He 
took  an  interest  in  such  subjects,  as  he  was  formerly  Admiral 
in  the  navy  of  Mohammed  Ali.  An  engraving  of  the  Turkish 
frigate  Sultan  Mahmoud,  which  was  built  by  the  American 


287 


Eckford,  hung  on  the  wall  opposite  me.  Over  the  divan  was 
a  portrait  of  Sultan  Abdul-Medjid,  and  on  each  side  two  Arabio 
sentences,  emblazoned  on  a  ground  of  blue  and  crimson.  The 
apartment  was  spacious  and  loft}7 ;  the  ceiling  was  of  smooth 
palm-logs,  and  the  floor  of  cement,  beaten  hard  and  polished 
with  the  trowel.  I  expressed  my  surprise  to  the  Pasha  thai 
he  had  erected  such  a  stately  building  in  the  short  space  of 
nine  months,  and  he  thereupon  proposed  to  show  it  to  me  more 
in  detail.  He  conducted  us  to  a  reception-room,  covered  with 
fine  carpets,  and  furnished  with  mirrors  and  luxurious  divans  ; 
then  the  dining-room,  more  plainly  furnished,  the  bath  with 
Moorish  arches  glimmering  in  steamy  twilight,  and  his  private 
armory,  the  walls  of  which  were  hung  with  a  small  but  rich 
assortment  of  Turkish  and  European  weapons.  The  doors  of 
the  apartments  were  made  of  a  dark  red  wood,  of  very  fine 
grain,  closely  resembling  mahogany.  It  is  found  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Fazogl,  on  the  south-western  border  of  Abyssinia.  It 
is  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish,  and  the  Pasha  showed  me  a  large 
and  handsome  table  made  from  it. 

The  Pasha  then  led  us  into  the  court-yard,  where  the  work- 
men were  still  busy,  plastering  the  interior  of  the  corridors 
surrounding  it.  A  large  leopard  and  a  lion-whelp  of  six 
months  old,  were  chained  to  two  of  the  pillars.  A  younger 
whelp  ran  loose  about  the  court,  and  gave  great  diversion  to 
the  Pasha,  by  lying  in  wait  behind  the  pillars,  whence  he 
pounced  out  upon  any  young  boy-slave,  who  might  pass  that 
way.  The  little  fellow  would  .take  to  his  heels  in  great  terror, 
and  scamper  across  the  court,  followed  by  the  whelp,  who  no 
sooner  overtook  him  than  he  sprang  with  his  fore-paws  against 
the  boy's  back,  threw  him  down,  and  then  ran  off,   apparently 


2S8  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

very  much  delighted  with  the  sport.  He  had  the  free  range 
of  the  palace,  but  spent  the  most  of  his  time  in  the  kitchen, 
where  he  would  leap  upon  a  table,  deliberately  lie  down,  and 
watch  the  movements  of  the  cooks  with  great  interest.  The 
Pasha  told  us  that  this  whelp  had  on  one  occasion  found  his 
way  to  the  harem,  where  his  presence  was  first  proclaimed  by 
the  screams  of  the  terrified  women.  The  leopard  was  a  large 
and  fierce  animal,  but  the  other  lion  was  a  rough,  good-humor- 
ed fellow,  turning  over  on  his  back  to  be  played  with,  and 
roaring  frequently,  with  a  voice  that  resembled  the  low  notes 
of  a  melancholy  trombone.  From  this  court  we  passed  into  the 
outer  corridor  fronting  the  square,  when  the  jewelled  shebooks 
were  again  brought,  and  the  Pasha  discoursed  for  some  time  on 
the  necessity  of  controlling  one's  passions  and  preserving  a  quiet 
temperament  under  all  circumstances.  When  we  rose  to  depart, 
he  invited  us  to  return  and  dine  with  him  next  day. 

Towards  sunset  the  horses  were  got  ready ;  Dr.  Reitz  don 
ned  his  uniform,  and  I  dressed  myself  in  Frank  costume,  with 
the  exception  of  the  tarboosh,  shawl  and  red  slippers.  We  call- 
ed at  the  Catholic  Mission  on  our  way  to  the  Palace,  and  while 
conversing  with  the  monks  in  the  garden,  a  message  came  from 
the  Pasha  requesting  Aboona  Suleyman — (Padre  Solomon,  a;' 
Dr.  Knoblecher  was  called  by  the  Copts  and  Mussulmen  in 
Khartoum) — to  accompany  us.  "We  therefore  set  out  on  foot 
with  the  Vicar,  with  the  grooms  leading  the  horses  behind  us. 
The  Pasha  received  us  at  the  entrance  of  his  reception-room, 
and  then  retired  to  pray,  before  further  conversation.  The  di- 
van at  the  further  end  of  the  room  was  divided  in  the  centre 
by  a  pile  of  cushions,  the  space  on  the  right  hand  being  reserv- 
ed for  the  Pasha  alone.     The  Consul,  being  the  second  inde- 


CEREMONIES    BEFORE    DINNER.  289 

pendent  power,  seated  himself  on  the  left  hand,  Dr.  Knob- 
lecher  modestly  took  the  corner,  and  I  drew  up  my  legs  beside 
him,  on  the  side  divan.  After  a  short  absence — during  which, 
we  also  were  supposed  to  have  said  our  prayers — the  Pasha 
returned,  saluted  us  a  second  time,  and  seated  himself.  Four 
slaves  appeared  at  the  same  moment,  with  four  pipes,  which 
they  presented  to  us  in  the  order  of  our  rank,  commencing  with 
the  Pasha. 

When  the  aroma  of  the  delicate  Djebeli  tobacco  had  diffus- 
ed a  certain  amount  of  harmony  among  us,  the  conversation 
became  more  animated.  The  principal  subject  we  discussed 
was  the  coup  d'etat  of  Louis  Napoleon,  the  news  of  which  had 
just  arrived  by  dromedary  post,  in  twenty-four  days  from 
Cairo.  The  Pasha  said  it  was  precisely  the  thing  which  he 
had  long  ago  predicted  would  come  to  pass.  Louis  Napoleon, 
he  said,  would  behead  Thiers,  Cavaignac,  Lamoricicre  and  the 
others  whom  he  had  imprisoned,  and  make,  if  necessary,  twenty 
coups  d'etat,  after  which,  France  would  begin  to  prosper.  The 
French,  he  said,  must  be  well  beaten,  or  it  is  impossible 
to  govern  them.  The  conversation  had  hardly  commenced, 
when  a  slave  appeared,  bearing  a  silver  tray,  upon  which  were 
four  tiny  glasses  of  mastic  cordial,  a  single  glass  of  water,  and 
saucers  which  contained  bits  of  orange  and  pomegranate.  The 
Pasna  was  always  served  first.  He  drank  the  cordial,  took  a 
sip  of  water,  and  then  each  of  us  in  turn,  drinking  from  the 
same  glass.  At  intervals  of  about  five  minutes  the  same  re- 
freshment appeared,  and  was  served  at  least  ten  #times  before 
dinner  was  announced. 

Presently  there  came  a  band  of  musicians — five  Egyptian 
boys  whom  the  Pasha  had  brought  with  him  from  Cairo.  We 
13 


290  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

bad  also  two  additions  to  the  company  of  guests :  Bufaa  Bey, 
an  intelligent  Egyptian,  who  was  educated  in  France,  and  had 
been  principal  of  a  native  college  in  Cairo,  under  Mohammed 
Ali,  and  Ali  Bey  Khasib,  the  late  Governor  of  Berber,  who 
had  been  deposed  on  account  of  alleged  mai-practices.  The 
latter  was  the  son  of  a  water  carrier  in  Cairo,  but  was  adopted 
by  the  widow  of  Ismail  Pasha,  who  gave  him  a  superior  educa- 
tion. Other  accounts  represented  him  to  be  the  illegitimate 
son  of  either  Ismail  or  Ibrahim  Pasha,  and  this  surmise  was 
probably  correct.  He  was  a  bold,  handsome  man  of  thirty, 
and  was  said  to  be  the  most  intelligent  of  all  the  officials  in 
Soudan. 

After  some  little  prelude,  the  musicians  commenced.  The 
instruments  were  a  zumarra,  or  reed  flute,  a  dulcimer,  the 
wires  of  which  were  struck  with  a  wooden  plectrum,  held  be- 
tween the  first  and  middle  fingers,  and  a  tamborine,  two  of  the 
boys  officiating  only  as  singers.  The  airs  were  Arabic  and 
Persian,  and  had  the  character  of  improvisations,  compared 
with  the  classic  music  of  Europe.  The  rhythm  was  perfect, 
and  the  parts  sustained  by  the  different  instruments  arranged 
with  considerable  skill.  The  Egyptian  officers  were  greatly 
moved  by  the  melodies,  which,  in  their  wild,  passionate,  bar- 
baric cadences,  had  a  singular  charm  for  my  ear.  The  songs 
were  principally  of  love,  but  of  a  higher  character  than  the 
common  songs  of  the  people.  The  Pasha  translated  a  brace 
for  us.  One  related  to  the  loves  of  a  boy  and  maiden,  the  for- 
mer of  whompwas  humble,  the  latter  the  daughter  of  a  Bey. 
They  saw  and  loved  each  other,  but  the  difference  in  their  sta- 
tions prevented  the  fulfilment  of  their  hopes.  One  day,  as  the 
girl  was  seated  at  her  window,  a  funeral  passed  through  the 


MUSIC    AND    DINNER.  291 

street  below.  She  asked  the  name  of  the  dead  person,  and 
they  answered  "  Leyl,"  the  name  of  her  beloved,  whom  the 
violence  of  his  passion  had  deprived  of  life.  Her  lamentations 
formed  the  theme  of  a  separate  song,  in  which  the  name  of 
Lcyl  was  repeated  in  one  long,  continued  outcry  of  grief  and 
love.  The  second  song  was  of  a  widow  who  had  many  wooers, 
by  whom  she  was  so  beset,  that  she  finally  appointed  a  day  to 
give  them  her  decision.  The  same  day  her  son  died,  yet,  be- 
cause she  had  given  her  word,  she  mastered  her  grief  by  a  he- 
roic resolution,  arrayed  herself  in  her  finest  garments,  received 
her  suitors,  and  sang  to  her  lute  the  song  which  would  best 
entertain  them.  At  the  close  of  the  festival  she  announced 
her  loss  in  a  song,  and  concluded  by  refusing  all  their  offers 
At  last,  dinner  was  announced.  The  Pasha  led  the  way 
into  the  dining-room,  stopping  in  an  ante-chamber,  where  a 
group  of  slaves  were  ready  with  pitchers,  ewers  and  napkins, 
and  we  performed  the  customary  washing  of  hands.  The 
Pasha  then  took  his  scat  at  the  round  table,  and  pointed  out 
his  place  to  each  guest.  Dr.  Knoblecher  and  myself  sat  on 
his  right,  Dr.  Ileitz  and  Rufaa  Bey  on  his  left,  and  Ali  Bey 
Khasib  opposite.  There  were  no  plates,  but  each  of  us  had  a 
silver  knife,  spoon  and  fork,  and  the  arrangement  was  so  far  in 
Frank  style  that  we  sat  upon  chairs  instead  of  the  floor.  The 
only  ceremony  observed  was,  that  the  Pasha  first  tasted  each 
dish  as  it  was  brought  upon  the  table,  after  which  the  rest  of  us 
followed.  We  all  ate  soup  from  the  same  tureen,  and  buried  our 
several  right  hands  to  the  knuckles  in  the  fat  flesh  of  the  sheep 
which  was  afterwards  set  before  us.  Claret  was  poured  out 
for  the  Franks  and  Rufaa.  Bey  (whose  Moslem  principles  had 
been  damaged  by  ten  years  residence  in  Paris),  the  Pasha  and 


292  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Ali  Bey  alone  abstaining.  There  were  twenty  courses  in  all^ 
and  the  cookery  was  excellent.  Besides  the  delicate  Turkish 
compounds  '  of  meat  and  vegetables,  delicious  fish  from  the 
White  Nile  and  fruits  from  the  Pasha's  garden,  we  had  blanc 
mange  and  several  varieties  of  French  patisserie.  At  the  close 
of  the  repast,  a  glass  bowl  containing  a  cool  drink  made  from 
dried  figs,  quinces  and  apricots,  was  placed  upon  the  table. 
The  best  possible  humor  prevailed,  and  I  enjoyed  the  dinner 
exceedingly,  the  more  so  because  I  had  not  expected  to  find 
such  a  high  degree  of  civilization  in  Soudan. 

We  had  afterwards  coffee  and  pipes  in  the  reception-room, 
and  about  ten  in  the  evening  took  leave  of  the  Pasha  and  walk- 
ed home,  preceded  by  attendants  carrying  large  glass  lanterns. 
After  accompanying  Dr.  Knoblecher  to  the  gate  of  the  Mission, 
Ali  Bey  Khasib  took  my  hand,  Bufafi  Bey  that  of  the  Con- 
sul, and  we  walked  to  the  residence  of  the  Bey,  who  detained  us 
an  hour  by  the  narration  of  the  injuries  and  indignities  which 
had  been  inflicted  upon  him  by  order  of  Abbas  Pasha. 
The  latter,  on  coming  into  power,  took  especial  care  to  remove 
all  those  officers  who  had  been  favorites  of  Mohammed  Ali. 
Many  of  them  were  men  of  high  attainments  and  pure  charac- 
ter, who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  carrying  out  the  old 
Pasha's  measures  of  reform.  Among  them  was  Rufaa  Bey, 
who,  with  several  of  his  associates,  was  sent  to  Khartoum,  os- 
tensibly for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  College  there,  but  in 
reality  as  a  banishment  from  Egypt.  He  had  been  there  a 
year  and  a  half  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  yet  no  order  had  been 
received  from  Cairo  relative  to  the  College.  This  state  of  in- 
action and  uncertainty,  combined  with  the  effect  of  the  climate, 
had  already  terminated  the  lives  of  two  of  his  fellow-profes- 


FRANKS    AND    COPTS.  293 

bors,  and  it  was  no  doubt  the  design  of  Abbas  Pasha  to  relieve 
himself  of  all  of  them  by  the  same  means.  When  I  heard  this 
story,  the  truth  of  which  Dr.  Reitz  confirmed,  I  could  readily 
account  for  the  bitterness  of  the  curses  which  the  venerable 
old  Bey  heaped  upon  the  head  of  his  tyrannical  ruler. 

The  Frank  population  of  Khartoum  "was  not  large,  consist- 
ing, besides  Dr.  Reitz  and  the  priests  of  the  Catholic  Mission, 
of  Dr.  Peney,  a  French  physician,  Dr.  Yierthaler,  a  German, 
and  an  Italian  apothecary,  the  two  former  of  whom  were  in  the 
Egyptian  service.  Dr.  Peney  had  been  ten  years  in  Soudan, 
and  knew  the  whole  country,  from  the  mountains  of  Fazogl  to 
the  plains  of  Takka,  on  the  Atbara  River,  and  the  Shangalla 
forests  on  the  Abyssinian  frontier.  He  was  an  exceedingly 
intelligent  and  courteous  person,  and  gave  me  much  interesting 
information,  concerning  the  regions  he  had  visited  and  the 
habits  of  the  different  tribes  of  Soudan.  I  had  afterwards 
personal  opportunity  of  verifying  the  correctness  of  many  of 
his  statements.  There  were  a  few  Coptic  merchants  in  the 
place,  and  on  the  second  day  after  my  arrival  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  witnessing  the  New- Year  ceremonies  of  their 
Church,  which,  like  the  Greek,  still  retains  the  old  style.  The 
service,  which  was  very  similar  to  a  Catholic  mass,  was  chant- 
ed in  musical  Arabic,  and  at  its  close  we  were  presented  with 
small  cakes  of  unleavened  flour,  stamped  with  a  cross.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  ceremonies  coffee  was  given  to  us  in  an  outer 
court,  with  the  cordial  "  Haneean !  "  (a  wish  equivalent  to 
the  Latin  prosit,  or  "  may  it  benefit  you  !  ") — to  which  we  re- 
plied :  "  Allah  Hancek  !  "  (may  God  give  you  benefit !) 

Dr.  Reitz  took  me  one  day  to  visit  the  celebrated  Sitteh 
(Lady)  Nasra,  the  daughter  of  the  last  King  of  Sennaar   and 


294  JOURNEY   TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

brother  of  the  present  Shekh  of  that  province.  She  is  a  woman 
of  almost  masculine  talent  and  energy,  and  ma}' be  said  to  gov- 
ern Sennaar  at  present.  All  the  Arab  shekhs,  as  well  as  the 
population  at  large,  have  the  greatest  respect  for  her,  and  in- 
variably ask  her  advice,  in  any  crisis  of  affairs.  Her  brother, 
Idris  Wed  Adlan,  notwithstanding  his  nominal  subjection  to 
Egypt,  still  possesses  absolute  sway  over  several  hundred  vil- 
lages, and  is  called  King  of  Kulle.  The  Lady  Nasra  retains 
the  title  of  Sultana,  on  account  of  her  descent  from  the  ancient 
royal  house  of  Sennaar.  She  has  a  palace  at  Soriba,  on  the 
Blue  Nile,  which,  according  to  Lcpsius,  exhibits  a  degree  of 
wealth  and  state  very  rare  in  Soudan.  She  was  then  in 
Khartoum  on  a  visit,  with  her  husband,  Mohammed  Defalleh, 
the  son  of  a  former  Vizier  of  her  father,  King  Adlan. 

We  found  the  Lady  Nasra  at  home,  seated  on  a  carpet  in 
her  audience-hall,  her  husband  and  Shekh  Abd-el-Kader — the 
Shekh  of  Khartoum,  who  married  her  daughter  by  a  former 
husband — occupying  an  adjacent  carpet.  She  gave  the  Consul 
her  hand,  saluted  me,  as  a  stranger,  with  an  inclination  of  her 
head,  and  we  seated  ourselves  on  the  floor  opposite  to  her. 
She  was  about  forty-five  years  old,  but  appeared  younger,  and 
still  retained  the  traces  of  her  former  beauty.  Her  skin  was 
a  pale  bronze  color,  her  eyes  large  and  expressive,  and  her  face 
remarkable  for  its  intelligence  and  energy.  All  her  motions 
were  graceful  and  dignified,  and  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances she  might  have  become  a  sort  of  Ethiopian  Zenobia. 
She  wore  a  single  robe  of  very  fine  white  muslin,  which  she 
sometimes  folded  so  as  nearly  to  conceal  her  features,  and 
sometimes  allowed  to  fall  to  her  waist,  revealing  the  somewhat 
over-ripe  charms  of  her  bosom.     A  heavy  ring  of  the  native 


VISIT    TO    THE    PRINCESS    OF    SENNAAR.  295 

<ro\d  of  Kasan  hung  from  ber  nose,  and  others  adorned  her  fin- 
gers.  Dr.  Reitz  explained  to  her  that  I  was  not  a  Frank,  but 
came  from  a  great  country  on  the  other  side  of  the  world. 
She  spoke  of  the  visit  of  Dr.  Lepsius,  at  Soriba,  and  said  that 
he  was  the  only  far-travelled  stranger  she  had  seen,  except 
myself.  I  took  occasion  to  say  that  I  had  frequently  heard  of 
her  in  my  native  land ;  that  her  name  was  well-known  all  over 
the  world  ;  and  that  the  principal  reason  of  my  visit  to  Sou- 
dan, was  the  hope  of  seeing  her.  She  was  not  in  the  least  flat- 
tered by  these  exaggerated  compliments,  but  received  them  as 
quietly  as  if  they  were  her  right.  She  was  a  born  queen,  and 
I  doubt  whether  any  thing  upon  the  earth  would  have  been 
able  to  shake  her  royal  indifference. 

Her  slaves  were  all  girls  of  twelve  to  fourteen  years  of  age, 
naked  except  the  rdhad,  or  girdle  of  leathern  fringe  about  the 
loins.  They  had  evidently  been  chosen  for  their  beauty,  and 
two  of  them,  although  as  black  as  cast-iron  statues,  were  in- 
comparable for  the  symmetry  of  their  forms  and  the  grace-  of 
their  movements.  They  brought  us  pipes  and  coffee,  and  when 
not  employed,  stood  in  a  row  at  the  bottom  of  the  room,  with 
their  hands  folded  upon  their  breasts.  Dinner  was  just  ready, 
and  we  were  invited  to  partake  of  it.  The  Sultana  had  al- 
ready dined  in  solitary  state,  so  her  husband,  Shckh  Abd-el- 
Kacler,  the  Consul  and  I,  seated  ourselves  cross-le^ed  on  the 
floor,  around  the  huge  bowl  containing  an  entire  sheep  stuffed 
with  rice.  We  buried  our  fingers  in  the  hot  and  smoking  flesh 
and  picked  the  choicest  pieces  from  the  ribs  and  flank,  occa- 
sionally taking  a  handful  of  rice  from  the  interior  The  only 
additional  dish  was  a  basket  of  raw  onions  and  radishes.  Be- 
fore each  of  us  stood  a  slave  with  a  napkin  and  a  large  glass 


296  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

of  om,  bilbil — the  "  mother  of  nightingales."  After  drinking, 
we  returned  the  glass  to  the  slave's  hand,  she  standing  all  the 
while  immovable  as  a  statue.  After  we  had  eaten  our  fill  of 
roast  mutton  and  raw  onions,  they  brought  a  dish  of  prepared 
dourra,  called  abri,  which  strongly  resembles  the  pinole  of 
Mexico.  The  grain  is  pounded  very  fine,  sifted,  mixed  with  a 
little  sugar  and  water,  and  made  into  thin,  dry  leaves,  as  white 
and  delicate  as  cambric.  It  is  considered  very  nourishing,  es- 
pecially on  a  journey,  for  which  purpose  it  is  used  by  the  rich 
shekhs  of  Soudan. 

As  we  took  our  leave,  the  Sultana,  observing  that  our  cane 
batons,  which  we  had  just  purchased  in  the  bazaar,  were  of 
very  indifferent  quality,  ordered  two  others  to  be  brought,  of  a 
fine  yellow  wood,  resembling  box,  which  is  found  in  the  moun- 
tains on  the  Abyssinian  frontier,  and  gave  them  to  us. 


RECENT  EXPLORATION  OF  SOUDAN.  29*7 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

THE       COUNTRIES      OF      SOUDAN. 

Recent  Explorations  of  Soudan— Limit  of  the  Tropical  Rains— The  Conquest  of  Ethio- 
pia-Countries Tributary  to  Egypt— The  District  of  Takka— Expedition  of  Moussa 
Bey— The  Atbara  River— The  Abyssinian  Frontier— Christian  Ruins  of  Abou- Ha- 
rass— The  Kingdom  of  Sennaar — Kordofan — Dar-Fur — The  Princess  of  Dar-Fur  in 
Khartoum— Her  Visit  to  Dr.  Reitz— The  Unknown  Countries  of  Central  Africa. 

Until  within  a  recent  period,  but  little  has  been  known  of  the 
geography  and  topography  of  the  eastern  portion  of  Central 
Africa.  Few  English  travellers  have  made  these  regions  the 
subject  of  their  investigation,  their  attention  having  been  prin- 
cipally directed  towards  the  countries  on  the  western  coast 
The  Niger,  in  fact,  has  been  for  them  a  more  interestinojprob- 
lem  than  the  Nile.  The  German  travellers  Riippell  and  Rus- 
seggcr,  however,  by  their  explorations  within  the  last  twenty- 
five  years,  have  made  important  contributions  to  our  knowledge 
of  Eastern  Soudan,  while  D'Arnaud,  "VYerne,  and  more  than 
all,  Dr.  Knoblecher,  have  carried  our  vision  far  into  the  heart 
of  the  mysterious  regions  beyond.  Still,  the  results  of  these 
explorations  are  far  from  being  generally  known,  or  even  rep- 
resented upon  our  maps.  Geographical  charts  are  still  issued, 
in  which  the  conjectured  Mountains  of  the  Moon  continue  to 


298  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

stretch  their  ridges  across  the  middle  of  Africa,  in  latitudes 
where  the  latest  travellers  find  a  plain  as  level  as  tl;e  sea.  A 
few  words,  therefore,  concerning  the  character  and  relative  po- 
sition of  the  different  countries  of  which  I  have  occasion  to 
speak,  may  make  these  sketches  of  African  life  and  landscapes 
more  intelligible  to  many  readers. 

As  far  as  southern  Nubia,  with  the  exception  of  the  Oases 
in  the  Libyan  Desert,  the  Nile  is  the  only  agent  of  productive- 
ness. Beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  his  bounteous  valley,  there 
is  little  except  red  sand  and  naked  rock,  from  the  Red  Sea  to 
the  Atlantic.  On  reaching  lat.  19°,  however,  a  change  takes 
place  in  the  desert  landscapes.  Here  the  tropical  rains,  which 
are  unknown  in  Egypt  and  Northern  Nubia,  fall  every  sum- 
mer, though  in  diminished  quantity.  The  dry,  gravelly  plains, 
nevertheless,  exhibit  a  scattering  growth  of  grass  and  thorny 
shrubs,  and  springs  are  frequently  found  among  the  mountain 
ranges.  As  we  proceed  southward,  the  vegetation  increases 
in  quantity ;  the  grass  no  longer  keeps  the  level  of  the  plain, 
but  climbs  the  mountain-sides,  and  before  reaching  Khartoum, 
in  lat.  15°  40;  north,  we  have  passed  the  limit  of  the  Desert, 
The  wide  plains  stretching  thence  eastward  to  the  Atbara,  and 
westward  beyond  Kordofan,  are  savannas  of  rank  grass,  cross- 
ed here  and  there  by  belts  of  the  thorny  mimosa,  and  differing 
little  in  aspect  from  the  plains  of  California  during  the  dry  sea- 
son.  The  Arabs  who  inhabit  them  are  herdsmen,  and  own 
vast  flocks  of  camels  and  s^ieep.  The  Nile  here  is  no  longer 
the  sole  river,  and  loses  his  title  of  "  The  Sea,"  which  he  owns 
in  Egypt.  The  Atbara,  which  flows  down  to  him  from  the 
Abyssinian  Alps,  has  many  tributaries  of  its  own  ;  the  Blue 
Nile,   between    Khartoum   and    Sennaar,   receives   the   large 


THE    CONQUEST    OF    ETHIOPIA.  299 

streams  of  the  Rahad  and  the  Dender ;  and  the  White  Nile, 
though  flowing  for  the  greater  part  of  his  known  course 
through  an  immense  plain,  boasts  two  important  affluents — 
the  Sobat  and  the  Bahr  el-G nazal.  The  soil,  climate,  produc- 
tions and  character  of  the  scenery  of  this  region  are  therefore 
very  different  from  Egypt. 

Before  the  conquest  of  Soudan  by  Mohammed  Ali,  little 
was  known  of  the  country  between  the  Ethiopian  Nile  and  the 
Red  Sea,  or  of  Central  Africa  south  of  the  latitude  of  Kordo- 
fan  and  Sennaar.  The  White  Nile,  it  is  true,  was  known  to 
exist,  but  was  considered  as  a  tributary  stream.  It  was  ex- 
tremely difficult  and  dangerous  to  proceed  beyond  Nubia,  and 
then  only  in  company  with  the  yearly  caravans  which  passed 
between  Assouan  and  Sennaar.  Ibrahim  Pasha,  Ismail  Pasha, 
and  Mohammed  Bey  Defterdar,  between  the  years  1820  and 
1825,  gradually  subjugated  and  attached  to  the  rule  of  Egypt 
the  countries  of  Berber,  Shendy  and  Sennaar,  as  far  as  the 
mountains  of  Fazogl,  in  lat.  11°,  on  the  south-western  frontier 
of  Abyssinia,  the  wild  domains  of  the  Shukorees,  the  Bisha- 
rees,  the  Hallengas  and  Hadendoas,  extending  to  the  Red  Sea, 
and  embracing  the  seaport  of  Sowakin,  and  the  kingdom  of 
Kordofan,  west  of  the  Nile,  and  bounded  by  the  large  and 
powerful  negro  kingdom  of  Bar-Fur.  The  Egyptian  posses- 
sions in  Soudan  are  nearly  as  extensive  as  all  Egypt,  Nubia 
not  included,  and  might  become  even  richer  and  more  flourish- 
ing under  a  just  and  liberal  policy  of  government.  The  plains 
on  both  sides  of  the  Nile  might  be  irrigated  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  in  Eg}-pt,  and  many.vast  tracts  of  territory  given 
up  to  the  nomadic  tribes,  could  readily  be  reclaimed  from  the 
wilderness.     The  native  inhabitants  are  infinitely  more  stupid 


300  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

and  degraded  than  the  Fellahs  of  Egypt,  bat  that  they  are  ca- 
pable of  great  improvement  is  shown  by  the  success  attending 
the  efforts  of  the  Catholic  priests  in  Khartoum,  in  educating 
children.  The  terrible-  climate  of  Soudan  will  always  be  a 
drawback  to  its  physical  prosperity,  yet  even  this  would  be 
mitigated,  in  some  measure,  were  the  soil  under  cultivation. 

As  I  followed  the  course  of  the  Nile,  from  the  northern 
limit  of  the  tropical  rains  to  Khartoum,  my  narrative  will  have 
given  some  idea  of  the  country  along  his  banks.  The  terri- 
tory to  the  east,  towards  and  beyond  the  Atbara,  is  still  in  a 
great  measure  unexplored.  Burckhardt  was  the  first  Euro- 
pean who  visited  it,  but  his  route  lay  among  the  mountain- 
ranges  near  and  parallel  to  the  coast  of  the  Red  Sea.  The 
long  chain  of  Djebel  Langay,  which  he  crossed,  is  three  to  five 
thousand  feet  in  height,  and,  like  the  mountain-spine  of  the 
island  of  Ceylon,  never  has  the  same  season  on  both  sides  at 
once.  When  it  rains  on  the  eastern  slopes,  the  western  are 
dry,  and  the  contrary.  There  is  another  and  still  higher  chain 
near  the  coast,  but  the  greater  part  of  this  region  consists  of 
vast  plains,  tenanted  by  the  Arab  herdsmen,  and  rising  gradu- 
ally towards  the  south  into  the  first  terraces  of  the  table-land 
of  Abyssinia.  The  land  of  the  Shukorees  and  the  Hallengas. 
lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Atbara,  is  called  Belad  el  Takica, 
Dr.  lleitz  visited  it  during  the  summer  of  1851,  in  company 
with  the  military  expedition  under  Moussa  Bey,  and  travelled 
for  three  or  four  weeks  through  regions  where  no  European 
had  been  before  him. 

Leaving  the  town  of  Shendy,  he  travelled  eastward  for 
nine  days  over  unbroken  plains  of  grass,  abounding  with  ga- 
zelles and  hyenas,  to  a  village  called  Goz  Radjeb,  on  the  At- 


DR.   REITZ's    JOURNEY    TO    TAKRA.  301 

bara  River.  This  belongs  to  the  Shukorees,  against  whom  the 
expedition  was  in  part  directed.  He  then  crossed  the  river, 
and  travelled  for  two  or  three  weeks  through  a  broken  moun- 
tain country,  inhabited  by  the  wandering  races  of  the  Hallen- 
ges  and  Hadendoas.  The  mountains,  which  were  from  two  to 
three  thousand  feet  in  height,  were  crested  with  wTalls  of  naked 
porphyry  rock,  but  their  lower  slopes  were  covered  with  grass 
and  bushes,  and  peopled  by  myriads  of  apes.  Between  the 
ranges  were  many  broad  and  beautiful  valleys,  some  of  which 
were  inhabited.  Here  the  vegetable  and  animal  world  was  far 
richer  than  on  the  Nile.  The  Consul  was  obliged  to  follow 
the  movements  of  the  expedition,  and  therefore  could  not  trace 
out  any  regular  plan  of  exploration.  After  seeing  just  enough 
to  wdiet  his  curiosity  to  penetrate  further,  Moussa  Bey  return- 
ed to  Goz  Racljeb.  His  route  then  followed  the  course  of  the 
Atbara,  for  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  to  the 
town  of  Sofie,  on  the  Abyssinian  frontier.  The  river,  which  is 
a  clear  and  beautiful  stream,  has  a  narrow  border  of  trees  and 
underwood,  and  flows  in  a  winding  course  through  a  region  of 
low,  grassy  hills.  By  using  the  wTater  for  irrigation,  the  coun- 
try, which  is  now  entirely  uncultivated,  might  be  made  evry 
productive.  The  Shukorees  possess  immense  herds  of  camels, 
and  a  liegin,  or  trained  dromedary,  which  the  Consul  purchas- 
ed from  them,  was  one  of  the  strongest  and  fleetest  which  I 
saw  in  Africa. 

Near  Sofie  the  savannas  of  grass  give  place  to  dense  tropi- 
cal forests,  with  a  rank  undergrowth  which  is  often  impenetra- 
ble. Here,  in  addition  to  the  lion  and  leopard,  which  are 
common  to  all  Soudan,  the  expedition  saw  large  herds  of  the 
elephant  and  rhinoceros.     The  woods  were  filled  with  birds  of 


302  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

brilliant  plumage,  and  the  vegetable  world  was  rieb  and  gor- 
geous beyond  description.  The  Consul  remained  but  a  short 
time  here,  and  then  travelled  westward  to  the  town  of  Abou- 
Harass  on  the  Blue  Nile,  visiting  on  the  way  a  curious  isolated 
mountain,  called  Djebel  Attesh.  Near  Abou-Harass  are  the 
ruins  of  an  ancient  Christian  town,  probably  dating  from  the 
fourth  or  fifth  century,  about  which  time  Christianity,  pre- 
viously planted  in  Abyssinia,  began  to  advance  northward  to- 
wards Nubia.  The  Consul  obtained  from  the  Governor  of 
Abou-Harass  three  iron  crosses  of  a  peculiar  form,  a  number 
of  beads  which  had  belonged  to  a  rosary,  and  a  piece  of  in- 
cense— all  of  which  were  found  in  removing  the  bricks  used  to 
build  the  Pasha's  palace  and  other  edifices  in  Khartoum.  The 
room  which  I  occupied  during  my  stay  in  Khartoum  was  paved 
with  the  same  bricks.  These  remains  are  in  curious  contrast 
with  the  pyramids  of  Meroe  and  the  temples  of  Mesowurat. 
The  Christian  and  Egyptian  Faiths,  advancing  towards  each 
other,  almost  met  on  these  far  fields. 

The  former  kingdom  of  Sennaar  included  the  country  be- 
tween the  two  Niles — except  the  territory  of  the  Shillooks — 
as  far  south  as  lat.  12°.  It  is  bounded  by  Abyssinia  on  the 
east,  and  by  the  mountains  of  the  savage  Galla  tribes,  on  the 
south.  The  Djezeerch  (Island)  el  Hoye,  as  the  country  be- 
tween the  rivers  is  called,  is  for  the  most  part  a  plain  of  grass. 
Towards  the  south,  there  are  some  low  ranges  of  hills,  followed 
by  other  plains,  which  extend  to  the  unknown  mountain  region, 
and  abound  with  elephants  and  lions.  The  town  of  Sennaar, 
once  the  capital  of  this  region  and  the  residence  of  its  Meks  or 
Kings,  is  now  of  little  importance.  It  was  described  to  me  as 
a  collection  of  mud  huts,  resembling  Shendy.     The  Egyptian 


KORDOFAN.  303 

rule  extends  ten  days'  journey  further,  to  Fazogl,  where  the 
fine  timber  in  the  mountains  and  the  gold-bearing  sands  of 
Kasan  have  given  rise  to  the  establishment  of  a  military  post. 
Sennaar,  as  well  as  Kordofan,  Berber  and  Dongola,  is  govern- 
ed by  a  Bey,  appointed  by  the  Pasha  of  Soudan.  It  is  only 
two  weeks'  journey  thence  to  Gondar,  the  capital  of  Amhara, 
the  principal  Abyssinian  kingdom.  I  was  told  that  it  is  not 
difficult  for  merchants  to  visit  the  latter  place,  but  that  any 
one  suspected  of  being  a  person  of  consequence  is  detained 
there  and  not  allowed  to  leave  again.  I  had  a  strong  curiosity 
to  see  something  of  Abyssinia,  and  had  I  been  quite  sure  that 
I  should  not  be  taken  for  a  person  of  consequence,  might  have 
made  the  attempt  to  reach  Grondar. 

Kordofan  lies  west  of  the  White  Nile,  and  consists  entire- 
ly of  great  plains  of  grass  and  thorns,  except  in  the  southern 
part,  where  there  is  a  mountain  range  called  Djebel  Dyer,  in- 
habited by  emigrants  from  Dongola.  It  is  not  more  than  two 
hundred  miles  in  breadth,  from  east  to  west.  Its  capital, 
Obeid,  lies  in  lat.  13°  12;  north,  and  is  a  mere  collection  of 
mud  huts.  Mr.  Peterick,  the  English  Vice-Consul  for  Sou- 
dan, to  whom  I  had  letters  from  Mr.  Murray,  the  English 
Consul-General  in  Cairo,  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  Obeid. 
The  soil  of  Kordofan  is  sterile,  and  the  water  is  considered 
very  unhealthy  for  foreigners.  Capt.  Peel  gave' me  such  a  de- 
scription of  its  endless  thickets  of  thorns,  its  miserable  popula- 
tion and  its  devastating  fevers,  that  I  lost  all  desire  to  visit  it. 
The  Governor,  Abd-el-Kader  Bey,  was  in  Khartoum,  and  Dr. 
Reitz  intended  making  a  journey  through  the  country  in  com- 
pany with  him.  There  is  a  caravan  route  of  twenty  days  between 
Obeid  and  Dongola,  through  a  wild  region  called  the  Beyooda, 


304  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

or  Bedjuda.  A  few  degrees  further  north,  it  would  be  a  bar- 
ren desert,  but  here  it  is  an  alternation  of  wadys,  or  valleys, 
with  ranges  of  porphyry  mountains,  affording  water,  trees,  and 
sufficient  grass  for  the  herds  of  the  wandering  Arabs,  It  is 
inhabited  by  two  tribes — the  Kababish  and  the  Howoweet, 
who  differ  strongly  from  the  Arabs  east  of  the  Nile,  in  their 
appearance  and  habits.  The  latter,  by  their  superior  intelli- 
gence and  their  remarkable  personal  beauty,  still  attest  their 
descent  from  the  tribes  of  Hedjaz  and  Yemen.  The  tribes  in 
the  western  desert  are  more  allied  to  the  Tibboos,  and  other 
tenants  of  the  Great  Zahara.  The  caravans  on  this  road  are 
exposed  to  the  danger  of  attacks  from  the  negroes  of  Dar-Fur, 
who  frequently  waylay  small  parties,  murder  the  individuals 
and  carry  off  the  camels  and  goods. 

The  great  kingdom  of  Dar-Fur  offers  a  rich  field  for  some 
future  explorer.  The  extensive  regions  it  incloses  are  suppos- 
ed to  furnish  the  key  to  the  system  of  rivers  and  mountain- 
chains  of  Central  Africa.  Through  the  fear  and  jealousy  of 
its  rulers,  no  stranger  has  been  allowed  to  pass  its  borders, 
since  the  visit  of  Mr.  Browne,  half  a  century  ago.  Of  late, 
however,  the  relations  between  the  Egyptian  rulers  in  Soudan 
and  the  Sultan  of  Dar-Fur  have  been  quite  amicable,  and  if 
nothing  occurs  to  disturb  this  harmony  there  is  some  hope  that 
the  ban  will  be  removed.  Lattif  Pasha  informed  me  that  he 
had  written  to  the  Sultan  on  behalf  of  Capt.  Peel,  who  wished 
to  pass  through  Dar-Ffir  and  reach  Bornou.  He  had  at  that 
time  received  no  answer,  but  it  had  been  intimated,  unofficial- 
ly, that  the  Sultan  would  reply,  giving  Capt.  Peel  permission 
to  enter  the  country  and  travel  in  it,  but  not  to  pass  beyond  it 
There  is  an  almost  continual  war  between  the  Sultans  of  Bor- 


THE    PRINCESS    OF    DAR-FUR.  305 

nou  and  Dar-Fur,  and  the  Pasha  was  of  the  opinion  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  traverse  Africa  from  east  to  west,  in 
the  line  of  those  states. 

A  circumstance  occurred  lately,  which  may  help  to  open 
Dar-Fur  to  Europeans.  The  Sitteh  (Lady)  Sowakin,  the  aunt 
of  Sultan  Adah,  the  present  monarch  of  that  kingdom,  is  a 
zealous  Moslem,  and  lately  determined  to  make  a  pilgrimage 
to  the  grave  of  the  Prophet.  She  arrived  in  Khartoum  in  Au- 
gust, 1851,  attended  by  a  large  retinue  of  officers,  attendants 
and  slaves,  and  after  remaining  a  few  days  descended  the  Nile 
to  El  Mekheyref,  crossed  the  Desert  to  Sowakin,  on  the  Red 
Sea,  and  sailed  thence  for  Djidda,  the  port  of  Mecca.  During 
her  stay  Lattif  Pasha  was  exceedingly  courteous  to  her,  intro- 
ducing her  to  his  wives,  bestowing  upon  her  handsome  presents, 
and  furnishing  her  with  boats  and  camels  for  her  journey.  Dr. 
Heitz  availed  himself  of  the  occasion  to  make  the  people  of 
Dar-Fur  better  acquainted  with  Europeans.  All  the  Frank 
residents  assembled  at  his  house,  in  Christian  costume,  and 
proceeded  to  the  residence  of  the  Lady  Sowakin.  They  found 
her  sitting  in  state,  with  two  black  slaves  before  her  on  their 
hands  and  knees,  motionless  as  sphinxes.  On  each  side  stood 
her  officers  and  interpreters.  She  was  veiled,  as  well  as  her 
female  attendants,  and  all  exhibited  the  greatest  surprise  and 
curiosity  at  the  appearance  of  the  Franks.  The  gifts  they  laid 
before  her — silks,  fine  soaps,  cosmetics,  bon-bons,  &c. — she  ex- 
amined with  childish  delight,  and  when  the  Consul  informed 
her  that  the  only  object  of  the  Europeans  in  wishing  to  enter 
Dar-Fur  was  to  exchange  such  objects  as  these  for  gum  and 
elephants'  teeth,  she  promised  to  persuade  Sultan  Adah  to  open 
his  kingdom  to  them. 


306  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

The  next  day  her  principal  officers  visited  the  Consul's 
house,  and  spent  a  long  time  examining  its  various  wonders. 
The  pictures,  books  and  furniture  filled  them  with  astonish- 
ment, and  they  went  from  one  object  to  another,  like  children, 
uttering  exclamations  of  surprise  and  delight.  What  most 
startled  them  was  a  box  of  lucifer  matches,  which  was  entirely 
beyond  their  comprehension.  They  regarded  the  match  with 
superstitious  awe,  and  seemed  to  consider  that  the  fire  was  pro- 
duced by  some  kind  of  magic.  Their  relation  of  what  they 
saw  so  excited  the  curiosity  of  the  Lady  Sowakin,  that  she 
came  on  the  following  day,  with  her  women.  She  was  no  less 
astonished  than  her  attendants  had  been,  but  was  most  attract- 
ed by  the  Consul's  large  mirror.  She  and  her  women  spent 
half  an  hour  before  it,  making  gestures,  and  unable  to  compre- 
hend how  they  were  mimicked  by  the  reflected  figures.  As 
she  was  unacquainted  with  its  properties,  she  threw  back  her 
veil  to  see  whether  the  image  would  show  her  face.  The  Con- 
sul was  standing  behind  her,  and  thus  caught  sight  of  her  fea- 
tures ;  she  was  black,  with  a  strongly  marked  but  not  unpleas- 
ant countenance,  and  about  forty-five  years  of  age.  He  had  a 
breakfast  prepared  for  the  ladies,  but  on  reaching  the  room  the 
attendants  all  retired,  and  he  was  informed  that  the  women  of 
rank  in  Dar-Fur  never  eat  in  the  presence  of  the  men.  After 
they  had  finished  the  repast,  he  observed  that  they  had  not- 
only  partaken  heartily  of  the  various  European  dishes,  but  had 
taken  with  them  what  they  could  not  eat,  so  that  the  table  ex- 
hibited nothing  but  empty  dishes.  When  they  left,  the  Lady 
reiterated  her  promise,  and  added  that  if  the  Consul  would 
visit  Dar-Fur,  the  Sultan  would  certainly  present  him  with 
many  camel-loads  of  elephants'  teeth,  in  consideration  of  his 
courtesy  to  her. 


UNKNOWN    COUNTRIES.  307 

To  the  westward  of  Dar-Fur,  and  between  that  country  and 
Bornou,  lies  the  large  kingdom  of  Waday,  which  has  never  been 
visited  by  a  European.  I  learned  from  some  Kordofan  mer- 
chants, who  had  visited  the  frontiers  of  Dar-Fur  on  their  trad- 
ing expeditions,  that  Sultan  Adah  had  conquered  a  great  part 
of  Waday,  and  would  probably  soon  become  involved  in  war 
with  the  Sultan  of  Bornou.  It  is  said  that  there  is  in  the 
country  of  Waday  a  lake  called  Fittre,  which  is  a  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  in  length,  and  receives  several  rivers.  At  the 
south-western  extremity  of  Dar-Fur,  in  lat.  6°  N.  there  is  a 
small  country,  called  Fertit.  I  often  heard  it  mentioned  by 
the  Ethiopian  traders,  one  of  whom  showed  me  a  snuff-box, 
which  he  had  bought  of  a  native  of  the  country.  It  was  made 
from  the  hard  shell  of  a  fruit  about  the  size  of  an  orange,  with 
a  stopper  roughly  wrought  of  silver.  Almost  the  entire  region 
south  of  lat.  10°  N.  and  lying  between  the  White  Nile  and 
the  Gulf  of  Guinea  is  unknown  ground,  and  presents  a  rich 
field  for  future  explorers. 

The  difficulties  and  dangers  which  have  hitherto  attended 
the  path  of  African  discovery,  are  rapidly  diminishing,  and  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  every  mystery,  hidden  in  the  heart 
of  that  wonderful  Continent,  will  be  made  clear.  Where  a 
traveller  has  once  penetrated,  he  smoothes  the  way  for  those 
who  follow,  and  that  superior  intelligence  which  renders  the 
brute  creation  unable  to  bear  the  gaze  of  a  human  eye,  is  the 
defence  of  the  civilized  man  against  the  barbarian.  Bruce, 
journeying  from  Abyssinia  to  Egypt,  in  the  year  .1772,  was  beset 
by  continual  dangers,  and  even  Burckhardt,  in  1814,  though 
successfully  disguised  as  a  Mussulman  shekh,  or  saint,  was  oblig- 
ed to  keep  his  journal  by  stealth.     At   present,  however,   a 


308  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

Frank  may  travel  in  comparative  safety,  from  Cairo  to  the 
borders  of  Dar-Fur  and  Abyssinia,  while  the  White  Nile  and 
its  tributaries  afford  avenues  to  the  very  heart  of  the  unexplor- 
ed regions  beyond.  The  climate  is  the  greatest  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  discovery,  and  the  traveller  whose  temperament  is  best 
adapted  for  the  heats  of  the  inter-tropical  zone,  possesses  the 
best  chance  of  success. 


EXCURSIONS  AROUND  KHARTOUM.  309 


CHAPTER     XXIV. 

EXCURSIONS       AND       PREPARATIONS. 

Excursions  around  Khartoum — A  Race  into  the  Desert — Euphorbia  Forest — The 
Banks  of  the  Blue  Nile— A  Saint's  Grave— The  Confluence  of  the  Two  Niles— Mag- 
nitude of  the  Nile — Comparative  Size  of  the  Rivers — Their  Names — Desire  to  pene- 
trate further  into  Africa— Attractions  of  the  White  Nile— Engage  the  Boat  John 
Ledyard — Former  Restrictions  against  exploring  the  River — Visit  to  the  Pasha — 
Despotic  Hospitality — Achmet's  Misgivings — We  set  saiL 

My  morning  rides  with  Dr.  Reitz,  around  Khartoum,  grad- 
uall}r  extended  themselves  into  the  neighboring  country,  with- 
in the  limits  which  a  fast  dromedary  could  reach  in  two  hours' 
travel.  In  this  way  I  became  familiar  with  the  scenery  along 
the  banks  of  both  Nilcs,  and  the  broad  arid  plains  between 
them.  As  I  rarely  appeared  in  public  except  in  the  Consul's 
company,  and  attended  with  all  the  state  which  his  household 
could  command,  I  was  looked  upon  by  the  inhabitants  as  a 
foreign  prince  of  distinguished  rank.  The  Pasha's  soldiers 
duly  presented  arms,  and  the  people  whom  I  met  in  the  streets 
stopped  and  saluted  me  profoundly,  as  I  passed.  The  Consul 
had  succeeded  in  making  a  strong  impression  of  his  own  power 
and  importance,  and  this  was  reflected  upon  his  guest.     One 


310  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    Af'UIOA. 

morning,  as  we  were  riding  towards  the  palace,  a  man  cried 
out :  il  May  God  prolong  your  days,  0  Consul !  and  the  days 
of  the  strange  lord, — for  you  make  a  grand  show  with  your 
horses,  every  day  !  " 

There  was  one  of  our  rides  which  I  never  call  to  mind  with- 
out a  leap  of  the  heart.  The  noble  red  stallion  which  I  usual- 
ly mounted  had  not  forgotten  the  plains  of  Dar-Fur,  where  he 
was  bred,  and  whenever  we  came  upon  the  boundless  level  ex- 
tending southward  from  the  town,  his  wild  blood  was  aroused. 
He  pricked  up  his  ears,  neighed  as  grandly  as  the  war-horse 
of  Job,  champed  furiously  against  the  restraining  bit,  and  ever 
and  anon  cast  a  glance  of  his  large,  brilliant  eye  backward  at 
me,  half  in  wonder,  half  in  scorn,  that  I  did  not  feel  the  same 
desire.  The  truth  is,  I  was  tingling  from  head  to  foot  with 
equal  excitement,  but  Dr.  Reitz  was  a  thorough  Englishman  in 
his  passion  for  trotting,  and  was  vexed  whenever  I  rode  at  any 
other  pace.  Once,  however,  the  sky  was  so  blue,  the  morning 
air  so  cool  and  fresh,  and  the  blood  so  lively  in  my  veins,  that 
I  answered  the  fierce  questioning  of  Sultan's  eye  with  an  in- 
voluntary shout,  pressed  my  knees  against  his  sides  and  gave 
him  the  rein.  0  Mercury,  what  a  rush  followed  !  We  cut 
the  air  like  the  whizzing  shaft  from  a  Saracen  crossbow ;  Sul- 
tan stretched  out  until  his  powerful  neck  was  almost  on  a  level 
with  his  back,  and  the  glorious  rhythm  of  his  hoofs  was  accom- 
panied by  so  little  sense  of  effort,  that  it  seemed  but  the  throb- 
bing of  his  heart,  keeping  time  with  my  own.  His  course  was 
as  straight  as  a  sunbeam,  swerving  not  a  hair's-breadth  to  the 
right  or  left,  but  forward,  forward  into  the  freedom  of  the 
Desert.  Neck  and  neck  with  him  careered  the  Consul's  milk- 
white  stallion,   and  I  was  so  lost  in  the  divine  excitement  of 


A    RACE    INTO    THE    DESERT.  311 


our  speed,  that  an  hour  had  passed  before  I  was  cooi  enough 
to  notice  where  we  were  going.  The  Consul  finally  called  out 
to  me  to  stop,  and  I  complied,  sharing  the  savage  resistance  of 
Sultan,  who  neighed  and  plunged  with  greater  ardor  than  at 
the  start.  The  minarets  of  Khartoum  had  long  since  disap- 
peared ;  we  were  in  the  centre  of  a  desolate,  sandy  plain,  bro- 
ken here  and  there  by  clumps  of  stunted  mimosas — a  dreary 
landscape,  but  glorified  by  the  sunshine  and  the  delicious  air. 
We  rode  several  miles  on  the  return  track,  before  we  met  the 
pursuing  attendants,  who  had  urged  their  dromedaries  into  a 
gallop,  and  were  sailing  after  us  like  a  flock  of  ostriches. 

A  few  days  after  my  arrival,  we  had  the  dromedaries  sad- 
dled and  rode  to  Kereff,  a  village  on  the  Blue  Nile,  about  two 
leagues  distant.  The  path  was  over  a  wide  plain,  covered  with 
dry  grass,  and  resembling  an  Illinois  prairie  after  a  long 
drought.  In  the  rainy  season  it  is  green  and  luxuriant  with 
grass  and  a  multitude  of  flowers.  The  only  trees  were  the 
savage  white  thorn  of  the  Desert,  until  we  approached  the 
river,  where  we  found  forests  of  the  large  euphorbia,  which  I 
had  first  noticed  as  a  shrub  in  Upper  Egypt.  It  here  became 
a  tree,  upwards  of  twenty  feet  in  height.  The  branches  bent 
over  my  head,  as  I  rode  through  on  the  Consul's  tallest  drom- 
edary. The  trees  were  all  in  blossom,  and  gave  out  a  subtle, 
sickening.odor.  The  flowers  appear  in  whorls  around  the  stem, 
at  the  base  of  the  leaves ;  the  corolla  is  entire,  but  divided 
into  five  points,  white  in  the  centre,  with  a  purple  stain  at  the 
extremity.  The  juice  of  this  plant  is  viscid  and  milky,  and 
the  Arabs  informed  me  that  if  a  single  drop  of  it  gets  into  the 
eye  it  will  produce  instant  blindness. 

Beyond  these  thickets  extended  patches  of  wheat  and  cot- 


312  JOURNEY    T*0    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

ton  to  the  banks  of  the  Blue  Nile,  where  the  hump-backed 
oxen  of  Sennaar  were  lazily  turning  the  creaking  wheels  of  the 
sakie$.  The  river  had  here  a  breadth  of  more  than  half  a 
mile,  and  shone  blue  and  brilliant  in  the  morning  sun.  Before 
reaching  Kereff,  we  visited  five  villages,  all  built  of  mats  and 
clay.  The  inhabitants  were  warming  themselves  on  the  sunny 
side  of  the  huts,  where  they  still  shivered  in  the  cold  north- 
wind.  At  Kereff,  two  men  brought  a  large  gourd,  filled  with 
sour  milk,  which  was  very  cool  and  refreshing.  The  principal 
wealth  of  the  people  consists  in  their  large  flocks  of  sheep  and 
goats.  They  cultivate  barely  sufficient  wheat  and  dourra  to 
supply  them  with  a  few  cakes  of  coarse  bread,  and  their  favor- 
ite beverage  of  om  bilbil. 

On  our  return  we  passed  the  grave  of  a  native  saint,  which 
was  decorated  with  rows  of  pebbles  and  a  multitude  of  white 
pennons,  fluttering  from  the  tops  of  poles  stuck  in  the  ground. 
Several  women  were  seated  at  the  head,  apparently  paying  their 
devotions  to  the  ghost  of  the  holy  man.  The  older  ones  were 
unveiled  and  ugly,  but  there  was  a  damsel  of  about  eighteen, 
who  threw  part  of  her  cotton  mantle  over  her  face,  yet  allow- 
ed us  to  see  that  she  was  quite  handsome.  She  had  a  pale 
yellow  complexion,  showing  her  Abyssinian  descent,  large,  al- 
mond-shaped eyes,  and  straight  black  hair  which  diffused  an 
odor  of  rancid  butter.  I  found  it  most  agreeable  to  admire 
her  beauty  from  the  windward  side.  An  old  beggar-woman, 
whose  gray  hair,  skinny  face  and  bleared  eyes,  flashing  from 
the  bottom  of  deep  sockets,  made  her  a  fitting  picture  of  a 
Lapland  witch,  came  up  and  touched  our  hands,  which  she 
could  barely  reach  as  we  sat  on  the  dromedaries,  which  saved 
us  the  horror  of  having  her  kiss  them.     We  gave  her  a  back- 


THE  JUNCTION    OF    THE    TWO    NILES.  313 

eheesh,  which  she  took  as  if  it  had  been  her  right.  After  in- 
voking the  name  of  Allah  many  times,  she  went  to  the  grave 
and  brought  each  of  us  a  handful  of  dirt,  which  we  carefully 
put  into  our  pockets,  but  as  carefully  emptied  out  again  after 
we  had  reached  home. 

The  next  morning  I  rode  with  the  Consul  to  the  junction 
of  the  two  Niles,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  west  of  Khar- 
toum. The  land  all  around  is  low,  and  the  two  rivers  meet  at 
right  angles,  but  do  not  mingle  their  waters  till  they  have  roll- 
ed eight  or  ten  miles  in  their  common  bed.  The  White  Nile 
is  a  light-brown,  muddy  color,  the  Blue  Nile  a  dark  bluish- 
green.  Both  rivers  are  nearly  of  equal  breadth  at  the  point 
of  confluence,  but  the  current  of  the  latter  is  much  the  stronger. 
There  is  a  low  green  island,  called  Omdurman,  in  the  White 
Nile,  at  its  junction.  The  fenw-boat  had  just  brought  over  a 
party  of  merchants  from  Kordofan,  with  their  packages  of  gum. 
A  number  of  large  vessels,  belonging  to  the  government,  were 
hauled  up  on  the  bank,  and  several  Arabs,  under  the  direction 
of  a  Turkish  ship-builder,  were  making  repairs.  We  rode  a 
short  distance  up  the  White  Nile,  over  a  beach  which  was 
deeply  printed  with  the  enormous  foot-prints  of  a  whole  herd 
of  hippopotami,  and  then  home  through  the  fields  of  blossom- 
ing beans. 

The  Nile  was  to  me  a  source  of  greater  interest  than  all 
the  negro  kingdoms  between  Khartoum  and  Timbuctoo. 
There,  two  thousand  miles  from  his  mouth,  I  found  his  current 
as  broad,  as  strong,  and  as  deep  as  at  Cairo,  and  was  no  nearer 
the  mystery  of  his  origin,  If  I  should  ascend  the  western  of 
his  two  branches,  I  might  follow  his  windings  twelve  hundred 
miles  farther  and  still  find  a  broad  and  powerful  stream,  of 
14 


314  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

ariose  source  even  the  tribes  that  dwell  in  those  far  regions  are 
ignorant.  I  am  confident  that  when  the  hidden  fountains  shall 
at  last  be  reached,  and  the  problem  of  twenty  centuries  solved, 
the  entire  length  of  the  Nile  will  be  found  to  be  not  less  than 
four  thousand  miles,  and  he  will  then  take  his  rank  with  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Amazon — a  sublime  trinity  of  streams ! 
There  is,  in  some  respects,  a  striking  resemblance  between  the 
Nile  and  the  former  river.  The  Missouri  is  the  true  Missis- 
sippi, rolling  the  largest  flood  and  giving  his  color  to  the  min- 
gled streams.  So  of  the  White  Nile,  which  is  broad  and  tur- 
bid, and  pollutes  the  clear  blue  flood  that  has  usurped  his  name 
and  dignity.  In  spite  of  what  geographers  may  say — and 
they  are  still  far  from  being  united  on  the  subject — the  Blue 
Nile  is  not  the  true  Nile.  There,  at  the  point  of  junction, 
his  volume  of  water  is  greater,*  but  he  is  fresh  from  the  moun- 
tains and  constantly  fed  by  large,  unfailing  affluents,  while  the 
White  Nile  has  rolled  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles  on  near* 
ly  a  dead  level,  through  a  porous,  alluvial  soil,  in  which  he 
loses  more  water  than  he  brings  with  him. 

*  Capt.  Peel,  who  measured  the  volume  of  water  in  the  two  rivers, 
gives  the  following  result:  Breadth  of  the  Blue  Nile  at  Khartoum,  V68 
yards;  average  depth,  10.11  feet;  average  current,  1.564  knots;  volume 
of  water,  5,820,600  cubic  feet  per  minute.  Breadth  of  the  White  Nile, 
immediately  above  the  junction,  483  yards;  average  depth,  13.92  feet; 
average  current,  1.4V  knots ;  volume  of  water,  2,985,400  feet  per  minute. 
Breadth  of  the  Nile  below  the  junction,  110V  yards;  average  depth, 
14.38  feet;  average  current,  2  knots;  volume  of  water,  9,526,V00  cubic 
feet  per  minute.  This  measurement  was  made  in  the  latter  part  of  Octo- 
ber, 1851.  It  can  hardly  be  considered  conclusive,  as  during  the  pre- 
ceding summer  the  rains  had  been  unusually  heavy  in  the  mountains  of 
Abyssinia,  which  may  have  occasioned  a  greater  disproportion  than 
usual,  in  the  volume  of  the  two  rivers. 


TIIE    BLUE    NILE.  315 

The  Blue  Nile,  whose  source  the  honest,  long-slandered 
Bruce  did  actually  discover,  rises  near  lat.  1 1  °  N.  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Godjam,  on  the  south-western  frontier  of  Abyssinia. 
Thence  it  flows  northward  into  the  great  lake  of  Dembea,  or 
Tzana,  near  its  southern  extremity.  The  lake  is  shallow  and 
muddy,  and  the  river  carries  his  clear  flood  through  it  without 
mixing.  He  then  flows  to  the  south  and  south-cast,  under  the 
name  of  Tzana,  along  the  borders  of  the  kingdom  of  Shoa,  to 
between  lat.  9°  and  10  °,  whence  he  curves  again  to  the  north 
and  finds  his  way  through  the  mountains  of  Fazogl  to  the  plains 
of  Sennaar.  His  entire  length  cannot  be  less  than  eight  hun- 
dred  miles.  The  stream  is  navigable  as  far  as  the  mountains, 
about  three  hundred  miles  from  Khartoum,  where  it  is  inter- 
rupted by  rapids.  The  Arabic  name  El-bahr  el-Azreh, 
means  rather  "black"  than  "blue,"  the  term  azrek  being 
used  with  reference  to  objects  of  a  dark,  blue-black  color ;  and 
besides,  it  is  called  black,  in  contradistinction  to  the  Bahr  el- 
Abiad,  the  white  Nile.  The  boatmen  here  also  frequently 
speak  of  the  black  river  as  he,  and  the  white  as  she.  When  I 
asked  the  reason  of  this,  they  replied  that  it  was  because  the 
former  had  a  stronger  current.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  name 
"  Nile,"  which  is  never  heard  in  Egypt,  (where  the  river  is 
simply  called  el-bahr,  "  the  sea,")  should  be  retained  in 
Ethiopia.  There  the  boatmen  speak  of  "  el-bahr  el-Nil" 
which  name  they  also  sometimes  apply  to  the  Blue  Nile.  It 
is  therefore  easy  to  understand  why  the  latter  river  should  have 
been  looked  upon  as  the  main  current  of  the  Nile. 

After  I  had  been  eight  or  ten  days  in  Khartoum,  I  began 
to  think  of  penetrating  further  into  the  interior.  My  inten- 
tion, on  leaving  Cairo,  was  to  push  on  as  far  as  my  time  and 


31G  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

means  would  allow,  and  the  White  Nile  was  the  great  point  of 
attraction.  The  long  journey  I  had  already  made  in  order  to 
reach  Soudan  only  whetted  my  desire  of  seeing  more  of  the 
wild,  barbaric  life  of  Central  Africa,  and,  owing  to  the  good 
luck  which  had  saved  me  from  any  delay  on  the  road,  I  could 
spare  three  or  four  weeks  for  further  journeys,  before  setting 
out  on  my  return  to  Egypt.  Some  of  my  friends  in  Khar- 
toum counselled  one  plan  and  some  another,  but  after  distract- 
ing myself  in  a  maze  of  uncertainties,  I  returned  to  my  first 
love,  and  determined  to  make  a  voyage  up  the  White  Nile. 
There  was  little  to  be  gained  by  visiting  Kordofan,  as  I  had 
already  seen  Central  African  life  to  better  advantage  in  Khar- 
toum. Sennaar  is  now  only  interesting  as  a  station  on  the 
way  to  Abyssinia  or  the  mountains  of  Fazogl,  and  in  the  wild 
regions  along  the  Atbara  it  is  impossible  to  travel  without  an 
armed  escort.  As  it  is  exceedingly  dangerous  for  a  single  boat 
to  pass  through  the  extensive  negro  kingdoms  of  the  Shillooks 
and  the  Dinkas,  I  had  hoped  to  accompany  Dr.  Knoblecher's 
expedition  some  distance  up  the  river  and  then  take  my  chance 
of  returning.  The  boat  belonging  to  the  Catholic  Mission, 
however,  had  not  arrived  from  Cairo,  and  the  season  was  sc 
far  advanced  that  the  expedition  had  been  postponed  until  the 
following  November.  At  the  time  of  my  visit,  nevertheless,  a 
Maltese  trader  named  Lattif  Eflendi,  was  fitting  up  two  large 
vessels  which  were  shortly  to  leave  on  a  trading  voyage  which 
he  intended  pushing  as  far  as  the  Bari  country.  I  could  have 
made  arrangements  to  accompany  him,  but  as  he  could  not  re- 
turn before  some  time  in  June,  I  should  have  been  obliged,  in 
that  case,  to  pass  the  sickly  season  in  Soudan — a  risk  scarcely 
worth  the  profit,  as,  with  the  best  possible  good  luck,  I  might 


ENGAGING    A    VESSEL.  3l7 

barely  hare  reached  the  point  attained  by  Dr.  Knobleeher. 
The  Consul  proposed  my  going  with  Lattif  Effendi  until  I 
should  meet  the  yearly  expedition  on  its  return,  and  then  come 
down  the  river  with  it.  This  would  have  enabled  me  to  pene- 
trate to  lat.  9°,  or  perhaps  8°,  but  after  passing  the  islands  of 
the  Skillooks,  one  sees  little  except  water,  grass  and  mosqui- 
toes, until  he  reaches  the  land  of  the  Kyks,  in  lat.  7°.  After 
weighing  carefully  all  the  arguments  on  both  sides,  I  decided 
to  take  a  small  boat  and  ascend  as  far  as  the  islands.  Here 
the  new  and  rich  animal  aud  vegetable  world  of  the  magnifi- 
cent river  begins  to  unfold,  and  in  many  respects  it  is  the  most 
impressive  portion  of  his  stream. 

I  was  fortunate  in  finding  a  small  vessel,  of  the  kind  called 
sanded — the  only  craft  in  port,  except  the  Pasha's  dahabiyeh, 
which  would  have  answered  my  purpose.  It  belonged  to  a  fat 
old  Turk,  named  Abou-Balta,  from  whom  I  engaged  it  for 
three  hundred  and  twenty-five  piastres.  The  crew  consisted 
of  a  rais,  five  strong  Dongolese  sailors,  and  a  black  female 
slave,  as  cook.  The  rais  knew  the  river,  but  positively  refus- 
ed to  take  me  further  than  the  island  of  Aba,  somewhere  be- 
tween lat.  12°  and  13°,  on  account  of  the  danger  of  venturing 
among  the  Skillooks,  without  an  armed  force.  I  named  the 
boat  the  John  Lcdyard,  in  memory  of  the  first  American 
traveller  in  Africa.  The  name  was  none  the  less  appropriate, 
since  Ledyard  was  buried  beside  the  Nile,  at  the  outset  of  a 
journey  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  its  sources. 
Dr.  Reitz  gave  me  two  sheep  as  provision  for  the  voyage,  and 
the  remainder  of  my  outfit  cost  me  about  a  hundred  and  twen- 
ty piastres  in  the  bazaars  of  Khartoum. 

I  reached  Khartoum  at  a  favorable  season  for  making  the 


318  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

voyage.  Formerly,  it  had  been  very  difficult  for  any  Euro- 
pean to  obtain  permission  to  sail  on  the  White  Nile,  owing  to 
the  trade  of  the  river  having  been  completely  monopolized  by 
the  Pasha  of  Soudan,  in  defiance  of  the  Treaty  of  1838,  which 
made  the  river  free  to  merchants  of  all  nations.  No  later 
than  the  previous  winter,  Count  Dandolo,  an  Italian  traveller 
who  visited  Khartoum,  encountered  much  opposition  before  he 
succeeded  in  obtaining  a  boat  for  the  Islands  of  the  Shillooks. 
Owing  to  the  vigorous  efforts  of  Dr.  Reitz,  the  monopoly  had 
at  last  been  broken  down,  and  the  military  guard  formerly 
stationed  at  the  confluence  of  the  two  rivers,  no  longer  existed 
I  did  not  even  inform  the  Pasha  of  my  intention  to  make  the 
voyage  until  after  I  had  taken  the  boat  and  completed  my 
preparations.  I  then  paid  him  a  visit  of  ceremony,  in  com- 
pany with  the  Consul.  He  was  very  affable,  and  insisted  on 
our  remainino;  for  dinner,  although  we  had  invited  two  friends 
to  help  us  eat  a  roasted  ram.  We  urged  this  in  excuse,  but 
he  cut  us  off  by  exclaiming  :  "  I  am  ruler  here,  and  my  com- 
mands dare  not  be  disobeyed,"  and  immediately  sent  a  servant 
to  order  our  guests,  in  his  name,  to  eat  the  ram  themselves. 
He  then  despatched  messengers  for  Abd-el-Kader  Bey,  Gover- 
nor of  Kordofan,  and  Ruffaa  Bey,  who  were  brought  to  the 
palace  in  the  same  arbitrary  manner.  Having  thus  secured 
his  company,  he  retired  for  the  usual  prayers  before  dinner, 
leaving  us  to  enjoy  the  preparatory  pipe.  Among  the  mani- 
fold dishes  served  at  dinner,  were  three  or  four  kinds  of  fish 
from  the  White  Nile,  all  of  them  of  excellent  flavor.  The 
Pasha  continued  his  discussion  of  Louis  Napoleon's  coup 
d'etat,  taking  delight  in  recommending  a  sanguinary  policy 
as   the    only   course,    and    could   not    enough   praise    Sultan 


WE    SET    SAIL.  319 

Mahmoud  I.  for  bis  execution  of  forty  thousand  Janissaries 
in  one  day. 

Finally,  on  the  morning  of  the  2-2d  of  January,  my  effects 
were  all  on  board,  and  my  rais  and  sailors  in  readiness.  Ach- 
aiet  and  Ali  preceded  me  to  the  boat  with  many  misgivings, 
for  we  were  now  going  into  regions  where  the  Pasha's  name 
was  scarcely  known — where  the  Egyptian  sway  had  never 
reached — a  land  of  koffirs,  or  infidels,  who  were  supposed  to 
be  nearly  related  to  the  terrible  "  Nyam-Nyams,"  the  anthro- 
pophagi of  Central  Africa.  Achmet  could  not  comprehend 
my  exhilaration  of  spirits,  and  in  reply  to  my  repeated  ex- 
clamations of  satisfaction  and  delight,  observed,  with  a  shake 
of  the  head:  ':If  it  were  not  that  we  left  Cairo  on  a  lucky 
day,  0  my  master  !  I  should  never  expect  to  see  Khartoum 
again."  Fat  Abou-Balta,  who  had  promised  to  accompany  me 
as  far  as  the  first  village  on  the  White  Nile,  did  not  make  his 
appearance,  and  so  we  pushed  off  without  him.  Never  was 
name  more  wrongly  applied  than  that  of  Abou-Balta  (the  "  fa- 
ther of  hatchets  "),  for  he  weighed  three  hundred  pounds,  had 
a  face  like  the  full  moon,  and  was  the  j oiliest  Turk  I  ever  saw. 
Dr.  Peitz,  whose  hospitality  knew  no  bounds,  sent  his  drome- 
daries up  the  river  the  day  previous,  and  accompanied  me  with 
his  favorite  servants — two  ebony  boys,  with  shining  counte- 
nances and  white  and  scarlet  dresses. 


i  mmm 


The  White  Nile. 


CHAPTER     XXV. 

VOYAGE       UP       THE       WHITE       N I L  E . 


Departure  from  Khartoum — We  enter  the  White  Nile— Mirage  and  Landscape — The 
Consul  returns — Progress — Loss  of  the  Flag -Scenery  of  the  Shores — Territory  of 
the  Ilassaniyehs — Curious  Conjugal  Custom — Multitudes  of  Water  Fowls — Increas- 
ed Eichness  of  Vegetation — Apt-s — Sunset  on  the  White  Nile — We  reach  tho  King- 
dom of  the  Shillook  Negroes. 

"At  night  he  heard  the  lion  roar 

And  the  hyena  scream, 
And  the  river-horse  as  he  crushed  the  reeds 

Beside  some  hidden  stream ; 
And  it  passed  like  a  glorious  roll  of  drums 

Through  the  triumph  of  his  dream." — Longfellow. 

The  men  pushed  away  from  shore  with  some  difficulty,  as  a 
violent  north-wind  drove  the  boat  back,  but  the  sail  once  un- 
furled, we  shot  like  an  arrow  between  the  gardens  of  Khar- 
toum and  the  green  shores  of  the  island  of  Tuti.      Before 


ENTERING    THE    WHITE    NILE. 


reaching  the  confluence  of  the  rivers,  a  jut  of  land  obliged  the 
sailors  again  to  take  to  their  pules  and  oars,  but  a  short  time 
sufficed  to  bring  us  to  the  turning-point.  Here  the  colors  of 
the  different  streams  are  strongly  marked.  They  are  actually 
blue  and  white,  and  meet  in  an  even  line,  which  can  be  seen 
extending  far  down  the  common  tide.  We  tossed  on  the  ajn- 
tated  line  of  their  junction,  but  the  wind  carried  us  in  a  few 
minutes  past  the  island  of  Omdurman,  which  lies  opposite, 
The  first  American  flag  that  ever  floated  over  the  White  Nile, 
fluttered  gayly  at  the  mast-head,  pointing  to  the  south — to 
those  vast,  mysterious  regions  out  of  which  the  mighty  stream 
finds  its  way.  A  flock  of  the  sacred  ibis  alighted  on  the  sandy 
shore  of  the  island,  where  the  tall  king-heron,  with  his  crest 
of  stately  feathers,  watched  us  as  he  walked  up  and  down.  In 
front,  over  the  island  of  Moussa  Bey,  a  broad  mirage  united 
its  delusive  waters  with  those  of  the  true  river  and  lifted  the 
distant  shores  so  high  above  the  horizon  that  they  seemed 
floating  in  the  air.  The  stream,  which  is  narrow  at  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Blue  Nile,  expanded  to  a  breadth  of  two  miles, 
and  the  shores  ahead  of  us  were  so  low  that  we  appeared  to  be 
at  the  entrance  of  a  great  inland  sea.  Our  course  swerved  to 
the  eastward,  so  that  we  were  in  the  rear  of  Khartoum,  whose 
minaret  was  still  visible  when  we  were  ten  miles  distant.  The 
low  mud  dwellings  of  the  town  were  raised  to  twice  their  real 
height,  by  the  effect  of  the  mirage.  The  shores  on  either  side 
were  sandy  tracts,  almost  uncultivated,  and  covered  with  an 
abundant  growth  of  thorns,  mimosas  and  a  small  tree  with 
thick  green  foliage.  By  twelve  o'clock  we  reached  the  point 
where  Dr.  Keitz  had  sent  his  dromedaries,  which  were  in 
readiness,  kneeling  on  the  beach.  We  could  not  approach  the 
14* 


322  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

shore,  on  account  of  the  mud,  "but  the  sailors  carried  us  out  on 
their  shoulders.  I  rode  with  him  to  a  small  Arab  hamlet, 
scattered  among  the  thorny  thickets.  There  were  but  two 
mud  houses,  the  other  dwellings  being  merely  rude  tents  of 
grass  matting  ;  few  of  the  inhabitants  were  at  home,  but  those 
few  were  peaceable  and  friendly.  As  the  Consul  had  a  ride 
of  four  or  five  hours  before  him,  he  wished  me  good  luck  and 
set  off  northward,  while  the  sailors,  who  were  in  waiting,  car- 
ried me  back  to  the  boat. 

All  the  afternoon  I  sped  before  a  strong  wind  up  the  mag- 
nificent river.  Its  breadth  varied  from  two  to  three  miles,  but 
its  current  was  shallow  and  sluggish.  The  shores  were  sandy, 
and  covered  with  groves  of  the  gum-producing  mimosa,  which 
appeared  for  the  first  time  in  profusion.  About  four  o'clock  I 
passed  a  low,  isolated  hill  on  the  eastern  bank,  which  the 
sailors  called  Djdr  cn-nebbee,  and  near  sunset,  a  long  ridge  on 
the  right,  two  miles  inland,  broke  the  dead  level  of  the  plains 
of  Kordofan.  The  sand-banks  were  covered  with  wild  geese 
and  ducks  in  myriads,  and  here  and  there  we  saw  an  enor- 
mous crocodile  lounging  on  the  edge  of  the  water.  The  sun 
went  down ;  the  short  twilight  faded,  and  I  was  canopied  by  a 
superb  starlit  heaven.  Taurus,  Orion,  Sirius  and  the  South- 
ern Cross  sparkled  in  one  long,  unbroken  galaxy  of  splendor. 
The  breeze  was  mild  and  light,  and  the  waves  rippled  with  a 
pleasant  sound  against  the  prow.  My  sailors  sat  on  the  for- 
ward deck,  singing  doleful  songs,  to  which  the  baying  of  dogs 
and  the  yells  of  hyenas  made  a  fit  accompaniment.  The  dis- 
tant shores  of  the  river  were  lighted  with  the  fires  of  the  Mo- 
hammediyeh  Arabs,  and  we  heard  the  men  shouting  to  each 
other  occasionally.     About  nine  o'clock  we  passed  their  prin- 


LOSS    OF    MY    FLAG.  023 

cipal  village,  and  approached  the  territories  of  the  Hassani- 

yehs. 

The  wind  fell  about  ten  o'clock,  and  the  boat  came  to  an- 
chor. I  awoke  an  hour  or  two  after  midnight  and  found  it 
blowing  again  fresh  and  strong  ;  whereupon  I  roused  the  rai's 
and  sailors,  and  made  them  hoist  sail.  We  gained  so  much 
by  this  move,  that  by  sunrise  we  had  passed  the  village  of 
Shekh  Moussa,  and  were  entering  the  territories  of  the  Hassa- 
niyeh  Arabs  ;  the  last  tribe  which  is  subject  to  the  Pasha  of 
Soudan.  Beyond  them  are  the  primitive  Negro  Kingdoms  of 
Central  Africa,  in  almost  the  same  condition  now  as  they  have 
been  for  thousands  of  years  past.  About  sunrise  the  rais  or- 
dered the  sails  to  be  furled,  and  the  vessel  put  about.  The 
men  were  rowing  some  time  before  I  discovered  the  cause. 
Whilst  attempting  to  hoist  my  flag,  one  of  them  let  it  fall  into 
the  water,  and  instead  of  jumping  in  after  it,  as  I  should  have 
done  had  I  seen  it,  suffered  the  vessel  to  go  some  distance  be- 
fore he  even  announced  the  loss.  We  were  then  so  far  from 
the  spot,  that  any  attempt  to  recover  it  would  have  been  use- 
less, and  so  the  glorious  stars  and  stripes  which  had  floated 
thus  far  triumphantly  into  Africa,  met  the  fate  of  most  travel- 
lers in  those  regions.  •  They  lay  imbedded  in  the  mud  of  the 
White  Nile,  and  I  sailed  away  from  the  spot  with  a  pang,  as 
if  a  friend  had  been  drowned  there.  The  flag  of  one's  country 
is  never  dearer  to  him  than  when  it  is  his  companion  and  pro- 
tector in  foreign  lands. 

During  the  whole  forenoon  we  sailed  at  the  rate  of  six  or 
seven  miles  an  hour,  in  the  centre  of  the  river,  whose  breadth 
varied  from  two  to  three  miles.  The  shores  no  longer  pre- 
sented the  same  dead  level  as  on  the  first  day.     They  were 


324  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

banks  of  sandy  soil,  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  height,  and  covered 
with  forests  of  the  gum-bearing  mimosa,  under  which  grew 
thickets  of  a  dense  green  shrub,  mixed  with  cactus  and  euphor- 
bia. The  gum  is  a  tree  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  height, 
with  a  thick  trunk  and  spreading  branches,  and  no  Italian  oak 
or  chestnut  presents  a  greater  variety  of  picturesque  forms  to 
the  painter's  eye.  The  foliage  is  thin,  allowing  the  manifold 
articulations  of  the  boughs  and  twigs  to  be  seen  through  it. 
It  was  most  abundant  on  the  Kordofan  side,  and  the  greater 
proportion  of  the  gum  annually  exported  to  Egypt  comes  from 
that  country.  The  broad  tide  of  the  river  and  the  wild  luxu- 
riance of  the  continuous  forests  that  girdled  it,  gave  this  part 
of  its  course  an  air  of  majesty,  which  recalled  the  Mississippi 
to  my  mind.  There  was  not  a  single  feature  that  resembled 
Egypt, 

Towards  noon  we  reached  the  more  thickly  populated  dis- 
tricts of  the  Hassaniyeh.  The  town  of  Damas,  on  the  east, 
and  Tura,  on  the  west,  not  very  distant  from  each  other,  were 
the  first  I  saw  since  leaving  Khartoum.  They  were  merely 
clusters  of  tohuls,  or  the  straw  huts  of  the  natives,  built  in  a 
circular  form,  with  a  conical  roof  of  matting,  the  smoke  escap- 
ing through  an  opening  in  the  top.  At  both  these  places,  as 
well  as  at  other  points  along  the  river,  the  natives  had  ferries, 
and  appeared  to  be  busy  in  transporting  men,  camels  and  goods 
from  one  bank  to  the  other.  On  account  of  the  breadth  of  the 
river  the  passage  was  long,  and  the  boatmen  eased  their  labor 
by  making  a  sail  of  their  cotton  mantles,  which  they  fastened 
to  two  upright  sticks.  The  shores  were  crowded  with  herds 
of  sheep  and  goats,  and  I  saw  near  Damas  a  large  drove  of 
camels  which  were  waiting  an  opportunity  to  cross.     The  Has- 


SINGULAR    CONJUGAL    CUSTOM.  325 

san i velis  own  no  camels,  and  this  was  probably  a  caravan  from 
Khartoum,  bound  for  Kordofan.  In  some  places  the  people 
brought  donkeys  laden  with  water-skins,  which  they  filled  from 
the  river.  I  noticed,  occasionally,  a  small  patch  of  beans,  but 
nothing  that  looked  like  a  regular  system  of  cultivation.  The 
Hassaniyehs  are  yellow,  with  straight  features,  and  resemble 
the  Fellahs  of  Lower  Egypt  more  than  any  other  Central- Af- 
rican tribe.  Those  whom  we  saw  at  a  distance  from  the  vil- 
lages retreated  with  signs  of  fear  as  my  vessel  approached  the 
shore.  Dr.  Peney,  the  Medical  Inspector  of  Soudan,  describ- 
ed to  me,  while  in  Khartoum,  some  singular  customs  of  these 
Arabs.  The  rights  of  women,  it  appears,  are  recognized 
among  them  more  thoroughly  than  among  any  other  savage 
people  in  the  world.  When  a  woman  is  married,  her  father 
states  that  one  fourth  of  her  life  thenceforth  is  reserved  for  her 
own  use,  and  the  husband  is  obliged  to  respect  this  reserva- 
tion. Every  fourth  day  she  is  released  from  the  marriage  vow, 
and  if  she  loves  some  one  else  better  than  her  husband,  he  can 
dwell  in  her  tent  that  clay,  obliging  the  husband  himself  to  re- 
tire. Their  hospitality  is  such,  moreover,  that  if  a  stranger 
visits  one  of  their  settlements  they  furnish  him,  for  four  days, 
with  a  tent  and  a  wife.  They  should  add  a  family  of  chil- 
dren, and  then  their  hospitality  would  be  complete.  No  re- 
proach whatever  attaches  to  the  woman,  on  account  of  this  tem- 
porary connection.  The  Hassaniyeh,  in  other  respects,  arc 
not  more  immoral  than  other  tribes,  and  these  customs  appear 
to  be  connected  with  their  religious  faith. 

After  passing  Tura  (the  terminus  of  a  short  caravan  route 
of  four  days  to  Obeid,  the  capital  of  Kordofan),  a  mountain 
range,  some  distance  from  the  river,  appeared  on  the  right 


326  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

bank.  The  peaks  were  broken  and  conical  in  form,  and  their 
pale-violet  hue  showed  with  fine  effect  behind  the  dark  line  of 
the  gum  forests.  With  every  hour  of  our  progress,  the  vege- 
tation grew  more  rank  and  luxuriant.  On  the  eastern  bank 
the  gum  gave  place  to  the  flowering  mimosa,  which  rose  in 
a  dense  rampart  from  the  water's  edge  and  filled  the  air  with 
the  fragrance  of  its  blossoms.  Myriads  of  wild  geese,  ducks, 
cranes,  storks,  herons  and  ibises  sat  on  the  narrow  beaches  of 
sand  or  circled  in  the  air  with  hoarse  clang  and  croaking. 
Among  them  I  saw  more  than  one  specimen  of  that  rare  and 
curious  water-bird,  whose  large,  horny  bill  curves  upward  in- 
stead of  downward,  so  that  it  appears  to  have  been  put  on  the 
wrong  way.  As  he  eats  nothing  but  small  fish,  which  he  swal- 
lows with  his  head  under  water,  this  is  not  such  a  great  incon- 
venience as  one  would  suppose.  The  bars  which  occasionally 
made  out  into  the  current  served  as  a  resting-place  for  croco- 
diles, which  now  began  to  appear  in  companies  of  ten  or  fifteen, 
and  the  forests  were  filled  with  legions  of  apes,  which  leaped 
chattering  down  from  the  branches  to  look  at  us.  A  whole 
family  of  them  sat  on  the  bank  for  some  time,  watching  us,  and 
when  we  frightened  them  away  by  our  shouts,  it  was  amusing 
to  see  a  mother  pick  up  her  infant  ape,  and  scamper  off  with  it 
under  her  arm.  The  wild  fowl  were  astonishingly  tame,  and 
many  of  them  so  fat  that  they  seemed  scarcely  able  to  fly. 
Here  and  there,  along  the  shore,  large  broods  of  the  young 
were  making  their  first  essays  in  swimming.  The  boatmen 
took  great  delight  in  menacing  the  old  birds  with  pieces  of 
wood,  in  order  to  make  them  dive  under  water.  There  were 
some  superb  white  cranes,  with  a  rosy  tinge  along  the  edges 
of  their  wings,  and  I  saw  two  more  of  the  crested  king-herons. 


A    MID-AFRICAN    LANDSCAPE.  327 

After  passing  the  island  of  Tshebeshi,  the  river,  which  still 
retains  its  great  breadth,  is  bordered  by  a  swampy  growth  of 
reeds.  It  is  filled  with  numerous  low  islands,  covered  with 
trees,  mostly  dead,  and  with  waste,  white  branches  which  have 
drifted  down  during  the  inundation.  In  the  forests  along  the 
shore  many  trees  had  also  been  killed  by  the  high  water  of  the 
previous  summer.  There  are  no  habitations  on  this  part  of 
the  river,  but  all  is  wild,  and  lonely,  and  magnificent.  I  had 
seen  no  sail  since  leaving  Khartoum,  and  as  the  sun  that  even- 
ing threw  his  last  red  rays  on  the  mighty  flood,  I  felt  for  the 
first  time  that  I  was  alone,  far  in  the  savage  heart  of  Africa. 
}\e  dashed  along  at  a  most  exciting  rate  of  speed,  brushing  the 
reeds  of  the  low  islands,  or  dipping  into  the  gloom  of  the  shad- 
ows thrown  by  the  unpruned  forests.  The  innumerable  swarms 
of  wild  birds  filled  the  air  with  their  noise,  as  they  flew  to  their 
coverts,  or  ranged  themselves  in  compact  files  on  the  sand. 
Above  all  their  din,  I  heard  at  intervals,  from  the  unseen 
thickets  inland,  the  prolonged  snarling  roar  of  some  wild  beast. 
It  was  too  deep-toned  and  powerful  for  a  leopard,  and  we  all 
decided  that  it  was  a  lion.  As  I  was  watching  the  snowy 
cranes  and  silverv  herons  that  alio-hted  on  the  boughs  within 
pistol-shot,  my  men  pointed  out  a  huge  hippopotamus,  stauding 
in  the  reeds,  but  a  short  distance  from  the  vessel.  He  was  be- 
tween five  and  six  feet  high,  but  his  head,  body  and  legs  were 
of  enormous  bulk.  He  looked  at  us,  opened  his  great  jaws, 
gave  his  swine-like  head  a  toss  in  the  air,  and  plunged  hastily 
into  the  water.  At  the  same  instant  an  immense  crocodile 
(perhaps  twenty  feet  in  length)  left  his  basking-place  on  the 
sand  and  took  refuge  in  the  river.  Soon  afterwards  two  hippo- 
potami rose  in  the  centre  of  the  stream,  and,  after  snorting  the 


328  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

water  from  their  nostrils,  entertained  us  with  a  peculiar  grunt- 
ing sound,  like  the  lowest  rumbling  note  of  a  double-bass.  The 
concert  was  continued  by  others,  and  resumed  from  time  to  time 
through  the  night.  This  was  Central  Africa  as  I  had  dream- 
cd  it — a  grand  though  savage  picture,  full  of  life  and  heat,  and 
with  a  barbaric  splendor  even  in  the  forms  of  Nature. 

As  the  new  moon  and  the  evening  star  went  down  together 
behind  the  mimosa  forests  on  the  western  bank,  we  reached  the 
island  of  Hassaniyeh,  having  sailed  upward  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles  since  the  evening  before.  I  had  every  pros- 
pect of  reaching  my  destination,  the  island  of  Aba.  in  the 
archipelago  of  the  Shillooks,  before  noon  the  next  day,  or  in 
two  days  from  Khartoum — a  distance  of  more  than  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  !  Better  sailing  than  this  was  never  made 
on  the  Nile.  Four  more  days  of  such  wind  would  have  taken  me 
to  the  Bahr  el-Ghazal,  in  lat.  9° — the  land  of  lions,  elephants, 
and  giraffes,  where  the  Nile  becomes  a  sea  of  grass.  It  became 
more  difficult  for  me  to  return,  the  further  I  advanced.  At 
nine  o'clock  we  passed  the  island  of  Hassaniyeh,  and  saw  the 
fires  of  the  Shillook  negroes  burning  brightly  on  the  western 
bank.  The  wind  blewr  more  briskly  than  ever,  and  I  dashed 
onward  in  the  starlight  with  the  painful  knowledge  that  I  was 
fast  approaching  the  point  beyond  which  I  dared  not  go. 


CORNING.  329 


CHAPTER     XXVI. 

ADVENTURES     AMONG      THE      SHILLOOK      NEGROES, 

Morning— Magnificence  of  the  Island  Scenery— Birds  and  Hippopotami— Flight  of  the 
Natives— The.  Island  of  Aba— Signs  of  Population-  A  Band  of  Warriors— The  Shekh 
and  the  Sultan— A  Treaty  of  Peace— The  Robe  of  Honor — Suspicions— "We  walk  to 
the  Village — Appearance  of  the  Shillooks — The  Village — The  Sultan  gives  Audience 
—Women  and  Children— Ornaments  of  the  Natives— My  Watch— A  Jar  of  Honey — 
Suspicion  and  Alarm — The  Shillook  and  the  Sultan's  Black  Wife— Character  of  the 
Shillooks— The  Land  of  the  Lotus— Population  of  the  Shillook  Kingdom— The  Turn- 
ing Point — A  View  from  the  Mast-Head. 

We  sailed  nearly  all  night  witli  a  steady  north-wind,  which 
towards  morning  became  so  strong  that  the  men  were  obliged 
to  take  in  sail  and  let  us  scud  under  bare  poles.  When  I  rose, 
in  the  gray  of  early  dawn,  they  were  about  hoisting  the  little 
stern-sheet,  which  alone  sufficed  to  carry  us  along  at  the  rate 
of  four  miles  an  hour.  We  had  passed  the  frontier  of  Egyp- 
tian Soudan  soon  after  sunset,  and  were  then  deep  in  the  negro 
kingdom  of  the  Shillooks.  The  scenery  had  changed  consider- 
ably since  the  evening.  The  forests  were  taller  and  more 
dense,  and  the  river  more  thickly  studded  with  islands,  the  soil 
of  which  was  entirely  concealed  by  the  luxuriant  girdle  of 
shrubs  and  water-plants,  in  which  they  lay  imbedded.     The 


330  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

ambalc,  a  species  of  aquatic  shrub,  with  leaves  resembling  the 
sensitive  plant  and  winged,  bean-like  blossoms  of  a  rich  yellow 
hue,  grew  on  the  edge  of  the  shore,  with  its  roots  in  the  water 
and  its  long  arms  floating  on  the  surface.  It  formed  impene- 
trable ramparts  around  the  islands  and  shores,  except  where 
the  hippopotamus  and  crocodile  had  trodden  paths  into  the 
forests,  or  the  lion  and  leopard  had  come  down  to  the  river's 
margin  to  drink.  Behind  this  floating  hem  of  foliage  and  blos- 
soms appeared  other  and  larger  shrubs,  completely  matted  to- 
gether with  climbing  vines,  which  covered  them  like  a  mantle 
and  hung  from  their  branches  dangling  streamers  of  white  and 
purple  and  yellow  blossoms.  They  even  stretched  to  the 
boughs  of  the  large  mimosa,  or  sont  trees,  which  grew  in  the 
centre  of  the  islands,  thus  binding  all  together  in  rounded 
masses.  Some  of  the  smaller  islands  resembled  floating  hills 
of  vegetation,  and  their  slopes  and  summits  of  impervious  foli- 
age, rolling  in  the  wind,  appeared  to  keep  time  with  the  rock- 
ing of  the  waves  that  upheld  them.  The  profusion  of  vegeta- 
ble life  reminded  me  of  the  Chagres  River.  If  not  so  rich 
and  gorgeous,  it  was  on  a  far  grander  scale.  The  river  had 
still  a  breadth  of  a  mile  and  a  half,  where  his  current  was  free, 
but  where  island  crowded  on  island  in  a  vast  archipelago  of 
leafy  shores,  he  took  a  much  wider  sweep.  The  waves  danced 
and  glistened  in  the  cool  northern  wind,  as  we  glided  around 
his  majestic  curves,  and  I  stood  on  deck  watching  the  wonder- 
ful panorama  unfold  on  either  side,  with  a  feeling  of  exul- 
tation to  which  I  gave  free  vent.  In  no  other  river  have  I 
seen  landscapes  of  larger  or  more  imposing  character. 

All  the  rich   animal  world  of  this  region  was  awake  and 
stirring  before  the  sun.      The  wild  fowls  left  their  roosts  ;  the 


THE    ISLANDS    OF    THE    SHI1.LOOKS.  331 

ziltzaks  flew  twittering  over  the  waves,  calling  up  their  mates., 
the  sleepy  crocodiles  ;  the  herons  stretched  their  wings  against 
the  wind ;  the  monkeys  leaped  and  chattered  in  the  woods, 
and  at  last  whole  herds  of  hippopotami,  sporting  near  the  shore, 
came  up  spouting  water  from  their  nostrils,  in  a  manner  pre- 
cisely similar  to  the  grampus.  I  counted  six  together,  soon 
after  sunrise,  near  the  end  of  an  island.  They  floundered 
about  in  the  shallows  popping  up  their  heads  every  few  min- 
utes to  look  at  us,  and  at  last  walked  out  through  the  reeds 
and  stood  upon  the  shore.  Soon  afterwards  five  more  appear- 
ed on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  thenceforth  we  saw  them 
almost  constantly,  and  sometimes  within  fifty  yards.  I  noticed 
one  which  must  have  been  four  feet  in  breadth  across  the  cars, 
and  with  a  head  nearly  five  feet  long.  He  opened  his  mouth 
wide  enough  to  show  two  round,  blunt  tusks,  or  rather  grinders, 
one  on  each  side.  They  exhibited  a  great  deal  of  curiosity, 
and  frequently  turned  about  after  we  had  passed,  and  followed 
for  some  time  in  our  wake. 

Soon  after  sunrise  the  rai's  observed  some  Shillooks  in  the 
distance,  who  were  sinking  their  canoes  in  the  river,  after 
which  they  hastily  retreated  into  the  woods.  We  ran  along 
beside  the  embowering  shores,  till  we  reached  the  place.  The 
canoes  were  carefully  concealed  and  some  pieces  of  drift  wood 
thrown  over  the  spot,  as  if  left  there  by  the  river.  The  rai's 
climbed  to  the  mast-head  and  called  to  the  people,  assuring 
them  that  there  was  no  danger,  but,  though  we  peered  sharply 
into  the  thickets,  we  could  find  no  signs  of  any  human  being- 
The  river  here  turned  to  the  south,  disclosing  other  and  rich- 
er groups  of  islands,  stretching  beyond  one  another  far  into  the 
distance.     Directly  on  our  left  was  the  northern  point  of  the 


332  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

island  of  Aba,  our  destination.  As  the  island  is  six  or  eight 
miles  in  length,  I  determined  to  make  the  most  of  my  bargain, 
and  so  told  the  rai's  that  he  must  take  me  to  its  further  end-, 
and  to  the  villages  of  the  Shillooks,  whom  I  had  come  to  see. 
Abou-Hammcd  was  small  in  body,  but  had  a  stout  heart.  The 
Consul  and  fat  Abou-Balta  had  given  him  special  instructions 
to  keep  me  out  of  danger,  yet  he  could  not  refuse  my  demands. 
We  sailed  two  or  three  miles  along  the  shore  of  Aba,  looking 
into  the  depths  of  its  ambak  forests  for  traces  of  the  Shillooks, 
who,  according  to  the  rai's,  had  a  village  on  the  island.  On 
our  right  extended  a  chain  of  smaller  islands — bowery  masses 
of  leaves  and  blossoms — and  beyond  them  the  wild  forests  of 
the  western  bank.  Glorious  above  description  was  that  world 
of  waves  and  foliage — of  wood,  water  and  sky. 

At  last,  on  rounding  one  of  the  coves  of  Aba,  we  came 
upon  a  flock  of  sheep,  feeding  along  the  shore.  A  light  thread 
of  smoke  arose  from  among  some  dead,  fallen  trees,  a  few  paces 
in  the  forest,  but  no  person  was  to  be  seen.  The  boat  was  run 
to  the  shore,  and  we  landed  and  examined  the  spot.  The  na- 
tives had  evidently  just  left,  for  the  brands  were  burning,  and 
we  saw  the  prints  of  their  long  feet  in  the  ashes.  The  rai's  and 
sailors  walked  on  tiptoe  through  the  woods,  looking  for  the 
hidden  inhabitants.  The  mimosas,  which  here  grow  to  the 
height  of  fifty  feet,  met  above  our  heads  and  made  a  roof 
against  the  sun.  Some  large  gray  apes,  startled  by  our  visit, 
leaped  with  wonderful  dexterity  from  tree  to  tree.  I  found 
several  abandoned  fire-places  during  my  walk,  and  near  the 
shore  saw  many  footprints  in  the  soft  soil.  The  forest  was 
quite  clear  of  underwood,  but  the  ground  was  cumbered  with 
the  trunks  of  dead  trees.     There  were  but  few  flowering  plants, 


WE    ENCOUNTER    THE    SHILLOOKS.  833 

and  I  was  too  much  interested  in  the  search  for  the  Shillooks 
to  examine  them. 

The  rais  finally  descried  the  huts  of  the  village  at  a  dis- 
tance, near  the  extremity  of  the  island.  We  returned  to  the 
vessel,  and  were  about  putting  off  in  order  to  proceed  thither, 
when  a  large  body  of  men,  armed  with  spears,  appeared  in  the 
forest,  coming  towards  us  at  a  quick  pace.  The  rais,  who  had 
already  had  some  intercourse  with  these  peojde  and  knew  some- 
thing of  their  habits,  advanced  alone  to  meet  them.  I  could 
see,  through  the  trees,  that  a  consultation  was  held,  and  short- 
ly, though  with  some  signs  of  doubt  and  hesitation,  about  a 
dozen  of  the  savages  advanced  to  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  vessel,  while  the  others  sat  down  on  the  ground,  still  hold- 
ing the  spears  in  their  hands.  The  rais  now  returned  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  said  that  the  Shillooks  had  come  with  the 
intention  of  fighting,  but  he  had  informed  them  that  this  was  a 
visit  from  the  Sultan's  son,  who  came  to  see  them  as  a  friend, 
and  would  then  return  to  his  father's  country.  Thereupon 
they  consented  to  speak  with  me,  and  I  might  venture  to  go 
on  shore.  I  landed  again,  with  Achmet,  and  walked  up  with 
the  rais  to  the  spot  where  the  men  were  seated.  The  shekh 
of  the  island,  a  tall,  handsome  man,  rose  to  greet  me,  by  touch- 
ing the  palm  of  his  right  hand  to  mine  and  then  raising  it  to 
his  forehead.  I  made  a  like  salutation,  after  which  he  sat 
down.  The  vizier  (as  he  called  himself),  an  old  man  exces- 
sively black  in  complexion,  then  advanced,  and  the  other  war- 
riors in  succession,  till  all  had  saluted  mo.  The  conversation 
was  carried  on  in  the  Arabic  jargon  of  Soudan,  wdiich  the  shekh 
and  some  of  his  men  spoke  tolerably  well,  so  that  I  could  un- 
derstand the  most  of  what  was   said.     "  Why  don't  you  bring 


334  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  Sultan's  carpet  that  he  may  rest?"  said  the  sliekli  to  one 
of  my  sailors.  The  carpet  and  pillows  were  immediately 
brought,  and  I  stretched  myself  out  in  front  of  the  shekh  and 
vizier,  who  sat  upon  a  fallen  tree,  while  the  others  squatted 
upon  the  ground.  The  shekh  at  first  took  no  part  in  the  con- 
versation, but  sat  looking  at  me  steadily,  from  under  his  heavy 
eyebrows.  Our  negotiations  were  conducted  in  genuine  diplo- 
matic style.  Whenever  His  Majesty  of  the  Shillooks  had  any 
thing  to  say,  he  mentioned  it  to  his  vizier,  who  addressed  Ach- 
met,  my  vizier,  who  communicated  it  to  me,  the  Sultan.  The 
spectators  observed  the  most  profound  silence,  and  nothing 
could  surpass  the  gravity  and  solemnity  of  the  scene. 

In  the  mean  time  the  other  warriors  had  come  up  and  taken 
their  seats  around  us,  each  one  greeting  me  before  he  sat  down, 
with  "  ow-ivow-wobha  /"  (probably  a  corruption  of  the  Arabic 
"  mar-habba  ? '"  "how  d'ye  do?")  The  vizier,  addressing  me 
through  Achmet,  said  :  "  Tell  us  what  you  want;  if  you  come 
to  fight,  we  are  ready  for  you."  I  assured  the  shekh  through 
him  that  I  came  as  a  friend,  and  had  no  intention  of  molesting 
them,  but  he  was  not  satisfied,  and  repeated  three  or  four 
times,  drawing  a  mark  between  us  on  the  ground  :  "if  you  are 
really  friends,  we  will  be  friends  with  you;  but  if  you  are  not, 
we  are  ready  to  fight  you."  Achmet  at  last  swore  by  the  Pro- 
phet Mohammed,  and  by  the  wisdom  of  Allah,  that  we  had  come 
in  peace ;  that  the  Sultan  wished  to  pay  him  a  visit,  and  would 
then  return  home.  At  the  request  of  the  rai's  we  had  come  on 
shore  unarmed,  but  it  had  not  the  anticipated  effect.  "  Why 
have  you  no  arms  ?  "  said  the  shekh  ;  "  are  you  afraid  of  us  ?  " 
I  told  him  that  it  was  in  order  to  show  that  I  had  no  hostile 
intentions,  but  the  people  seemed  to  consider  it  as  mark  of 


THE    RODE    OF    HONOR.  335 

cither  treachery  or  fear.  I  brought  some  tobacco  with  me, 
which  I  gave  to  the  shekh,  but  he  received  it  coldly,  and  said  : 
"  Where  is  the  dress  which  the  Sultan  has  brought  for  me?" 
This  reminded  me  that  I  had  entirely  neglected  to  provide 
myself  in  Khartoum  with  muslin  and  calico,  for  presents.  I 
remedied  the  deficiency,  however,  by  going  onboard  and  taking 
one  of  my  shirts  and  a  silk  handkerchief,  as  well  as  some  beads 
and  ear-rings  for  the  wives  of  the  two  dignitaries.  Achmet 
added  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of  Turkish  drawers,  and  brought  a 
fresh  supply  of  tobacco  for  the  warriors.  The  shekh  took  the 
presents  with  evident  gratification,  and  then  came  the  work  of 
clothing  him.  He  was  entirely  at  a  loss  how  to  put  on  the 
garments,  but  Achmet  and  the  rai's  unwound  the  cotton  cloth 
from  his  loins,  stuck  his  legs  into  the  drawers,  his  arms  into 
the  shirt-sleeves,  and  tied  the  handkerchief  about  his  head. 
Once  clothed,  he  gave  no  more  attention  to  his  garments,  but 
wore  them  with  as  much  nonchalance  as  if  he  had  never  pos- 
sessed a  scantier  costume.  The  vizier,  who  had  shown  mani- 
fest ill-humor  at  being  passed  by,  was  quieted  by  the  present 
of  a  shirt,  which  was  put  upon  his  shoulders  in  like  manner. 
He  gave  me  his  name  as  Adjeb-Sccdoo  ("  He  pleases  his  Mas- 
ter"), a  most  appropriate  name  for  a  vizier.  The  shekh's 
name,  Ahd-en-noor  ("  the  Slave  of  Light"),  was  hardly  so 
befitting,  for  he  was  remarkably  dark.  I  was  much  amused  at 
my  servant  Ali,  who  had  shown  great  terror  on  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  the  savages.  He  had  already  become  so  familiar, 
that  when  the  shekh  did  not  seem  to  understand  the  use  of 
the  beads  and  ear-rings,  Ali  pinched  his  ears  very  significantly, 
and  took  hold  of  his  neck  to  show  how  they  must  be  worn. 
By  this  time  coffee  had  been  prepared  and  was  brought  to 


336  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

them.  But  they  had  been  so  accustomed  to  inhumanity  and 
deception  on  the  part  of  the  Turks,  that  they  still  mistrusted 
us  and  no  one  would  drink,  for  fear  that  it  contained  poison. 
To  quiet  them,  therefore,  I  drank  a  cup  first,  after  which  they 
took  it  readily,  but  many  of  them,  who  then  tasted  coffee  for 
the  first  time,  did  not  seem  to  relish  it.  A  drove  of  sheep 
happening  to  pass  by,  the  shekh  ordered  one  of  the  rams  to  be 
caught  and  put  on  board  the  vessel,  for  the  Sultan's  dinner. 
The  men  soon  began  to  demand  tobacco,  clothes,  and  various 
other  things,  and  grew  so  importunate  that  Achmet  became 
alarmed,  and  even  the  rais,  who  was  a  man  of  some  courage, 
seemed  a  little  uneasy.  I  thought  it  time  to  give  a  change  to 
affairs,  and  therefore  rose  and  told  the  shekh  I  was  ready  to 
visit  his  village.  We  had  intended  returning  on  board  and 
sailing  to  the  place,  which  was  at  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  island,  about  a  mile  distant,  but  reflecting  that  this  might 
occasion  mistrust,  and  that  the  best  way  of  avoiding  danger  is 
to  appear  unconscious  of  it,  I  called  Achmet  and  the  rais  to 
accompany  me  on  foot.  While  these  things  were  transpiring, 
a  number  of  other  Shillooks  had  arrived,  so  that  there  were 
now  upwards  of  fifty.  All  were  armed — the  most  of  them 
with  iron-pointed  spears,  some  with  clubs,  and  some  with  long 
poles,  having  knobs  of  hard  wood  on  the  end.  They  were  all 
tall,  strong,  stately  people,  not  more  than  two  or  three  under 
six  feet  in  height,  while  the  most  of  them  were  three  or  four 
inches  over  that  standard.  Some  had  a  piece  of  rough  cotton 
cloth  tied  around  the  waist  or  thrown  over  the  shoulders,  but 
the  most  of  them  were  entirely  naked.  Their  figures  were 
large  and  muscular,  but  not  symmetrical,  nor  was  there  the 
least  o-racc  in  their  movements.     Their  faces  resembled  a  cross 


APPEARANCE    OF    THE    SHILLOOKS.  337 

between  the  Negro  of  Guinea  and  the  North  American  In- 
dian, having  the  high  cheek  bones,  the  narrow  forehead  and 
pointed  head  of  the  latter,  with  the  flat  nose  and  projecting 
lips  of  the  former.  Their  teeth  were  so  long  as  to  appear  like 
tusks,  and  in  most  of  them  one  or  two  front  teeth  were  want- 
ing, which  gave  their  faces  a  wolfish  expression.  Their  eyes 
were  small  and  had  an  inflamed  look,  which  might  have  been 
occasioned  by  the  damp  exhalations  of  the  soil  on  which  they 
slept.  Every  one  wore  an  armlet  above  the  elbow,  either  a 
segment  of  an  elephant's  tusk,  or  a  thick  ring  of  plaited  hippo- 
potamus hide.  The  most  of  them  had  a  string  of  glass  beads 
around  the  neck,  and  the  shekh  wore  a  necklace  of  the  large 
white  variety,  called  "  pigeon  eggs  "  by  the  traders  on  the 
White  Nile.  They  had  no  beards,  and  their  hair  was  seared 
or  plucked  out  on  the  forehead  and  temples,  leaving  only  a 
circular  crown  of  crisp  wool  on  the  top  of  the  head.  Some 
had  rubbed  their  faces  and  heads  with  reel  ashes,  which  impart- 
ed a  livid,  ghastly  effect  to  their  black  skins. 

The  shekh  marched  ahead,  in  his  white  garments  and  flut- 
tering head-dress,  followed  by  the  warriors,  each  carrying  his 
long  spear  erect  in  his  hand.  We  walked  in  the  midst  of 
them,  and  I  was  so  careful  to  avoid  all  appearance  of  fear  that 
I  never  once  looked  behind,  to  see  whether  the  vessel  was  fol- 
lowing us.  A  violent  dispute  arose  among  some  of  the  men  in 
front,  and  from  their  frequent  glances  towards  us,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  we  were  in  some  way  connected  with  the  conversa- 
tion. I  did  not  feel  quite  at  ease  till  the  matter  was  referred 
to  the  shekh,  who  decided  it  in  a  way  that  silenced  the  men,  if 
it  did  not  satisfy  them.  As  we  approached  the  village,  good- 
humor  was  restored,  and  their  demeanor  towards  us  was 
15 


038  JOCTRNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

thenceforth  more  friendly.  They  looked  at  me  witn  curiosity, 
but  without  ill-will,  and  I  could  see  that  my  dress  interested 
them  much  more  than  my  person.  Finally  we  reached  the 
village,  which  contained  about  one  hundred  tokuls  of  straw, 
built  in  a  circular  form,  with  conical  roofs.  They  were  arrang- 
ed so  as  to  inclose  a  space  in  the  centre,  which  was  evidently 
intended  as  a  fold  for  their  sheep,  as  it  was  further  protected 
by  a  fence  of  thorns.  Guards  were  stationed  at  intervals  of 
about  twenty  yards,  along  the  side  fronting  the  river,  each 
leaning  back  against  his  spear,  with  one  of  his  legs  drawn  up, 
so  that  the  foot  rested  against  the  opposite  knee.  At  the 
principal  entrance  of  the  village,  opposite  which  I  counted 
twenty-seven  canoes  drawn  up  against  the  shore,  we  made  halt, 
and  the  shekh  ordered  a  seat  to  be  brought.  An  angareb,  the 
frame  of  which  was  covered  with  a  net-work  of  hippopotamus 
thongs,  was  placed  in  the  shade  of  a  majestic  mimosa  tree,  and 
the  shekh  and  I  took  our  seats.  Another  angareb  was  brought 
and  placed  behind  us,  for  our  respective  viziers.  The  warriors 
all  laid  aside  their  spears  and  sat  on  the  ground,  forming  a 
semicircle  in  front  of  us.  A  swarm  of  naked  boys,  from  eighl 
to  twelve  years  of  age,  crept  dodging  behind  the  trees  till  they 
reached  a  convenient  place  in  the  rear,  where  they  watched  mo 
curiously,  but  drew  back  in  alarm  whenever  I  turned  my  head. 
The  village  was  entirely  deserted  of  its  inhabitants,  every  one 
having  come  to  behold  the  strange  Sultan.  The  females  kept 
at  a  distance  at  first,  but  gradually  a  few  were  so  far  overcome 
by  their  curiosity  that  they  approached  near  enough  for  me  to 
observe  them  closely.  They  were  nude,  except  a  small  piece 
of  sheepskin  around  the  loins,  and  in  their  forms  were  not  very 
easy  to  distinguish  from  th)  men,  having  flat,  masculine  breasts 


SCENE    AT    THE    VILLAGE.  339 

and  narrow  hips.  They  were  from  five  feet  eight  inches  to  six 
feet  in  height.  The  rai's  informed  me  that  the  Shillooks  fre- 
quently sell  their  women  and  children,  and  that  a  boy  or  girl 
can  be  bought  for  about  twenty  measures  of  dourra. 

After  undergoing  their  inspection  half  an  hour,  I  began  to 
get  tired  of  sitting  in  state,  and  had  my  pipe  brought  from  the 
boat.  I  saw  by  an  occasional  sidelong  glance  that  the  shekh 
watched  me,  but  I  smoked  carelessly  until  the  tobacco  was 
finished.  Some  of  the  men  were  already  regaling  themselves 
with  that  which  I  had  given  them.  They  had  pipes  with  im- 
mense globular  bowls  of  clay,  short,  thick  stems  of  reed,  and 
mouth-pieces  made  of  a  variety  of  wild  gourd,  with  a  long, 
pointed  neck.  A  handful  of  tobacco  was  placed  in  the  bowl 
and  two  or  three  coals  laid  upon  it,  after  which  the  orifice  was 
closed  with  clay.  The  vizier,  Adjeb-Seedoo,  who  had  some- 
thing of  the  Yankee  in  his  angular  features  and  the  shrewd 
wrinkles  about  the  corners  of  the  eyes,  chewed  the  tobacco  and 
squirted  out  the  saliva  between  his  teeth  in  the  true  Down- 
East  style.  I  bargained  for  his  pipe  at  two  piastres,  and  one 
of  the  ivory  arm-rings  at  five,  but  as  I  had  no  small  silver 
money  (the  only  coin  current  among  them),  did  not  succeed  in 
getting  the  former  article.  I  obtained,  however,  two  of  the 
arm-rings  of  hippopotamus  hide.  While  these  things  were  go- 
ing on,  the  shekh  who  had  been  observing  me  closely,  saw  the 
chain  of  my  watch,  which  he  seized.  I  took  out  the  watch 
and  held  it  to  his  ear.  He  started  back  in  surprise,  and  told 
the  men  what  he  had  heard,  imitating  its  sound  in  a  most 
amusing  manner.  They  all  crowded  around  to  listen,  and 
from  their  looks  and  signs  seemed  to  think  the  case  contained 
some  bird  or  insect.     I  therefore  opened  it,  and  showed  them 


340  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  motion  of  the  balance-wheel  and  of  the  hand  on  the  smaller 
dial  of  the  face.  Their  astonishment  was  now  changed  to  awe, 
and  they  looked  at  it  silently,  without  daring  to  touch  it. 

I  profited  by  this  impression  to  make  a  move  for  starting, 
before  their  greed  for  presents  should  grow  into  a  resolve  to 
rob  us  by  force.  I  had  asked  the  shekh  two  or  three  times  to 
have  a  cup  of  water  brought  for  me,  but  he  seemed  to  pay  no 
attention  to  the  request.  Soon,  however,  one  of  the  men 
brought  a  large  earthen  jar,  stopped  with  clay,  and  placed  it 
at  my  feet.  Thereupon  the  shekh  turned  to  me,  saying : 
"  There  is  plenty  of  water  in  the  river,  and  here  I  give  you 
honey  to  mix  with  it."  The  jar  was  taken  on  board,  and  con 
tained,  in  fact,  nearly  a  gallon  of  wild  honey,  which  had  a  rich, 
aromatic  taste,  like  the  odor  of  the  mimosa  flowers.  The  trad- 
ing-vessels on  the  White  Nile  purchase  this  hone}-,  but  as  the 
natives,  in  their  hatred  of  the  Turks,  frequently  mix  with  it 
the  juice  of  poisonous  plants,  they  are  obliged  to  taste  it  them- 
selves before  they  can  sell  it.  I  did  not  require  this  proof  at 
their  hands,  preferring  to  trust  them  unreservedly,  at  least  in 
my  demeanor.  Trust  always  begets  a  kindred  trust,  and  I 
am  quite  sure  that  my  safety  among  those  savages  was  owing 
to  my  having  adopted  this  course  of  conduct. 

I  went  on  board  to  get  the  money  for  the  arm-rings,  and 
after  Achmet  had  paid  the  men,  directed  him  and  the  rai's  to 
return.  Several  of  the  Shillooks  followed,  offering  articles  for 
sale,  and  the  vizier,  who  had  waded  out,  holding  up  his  new 
shirt  so  that  it  might  not  be  wet,  climbed  upon  the  gunwale 
of  the  boat  and  peered  into  the  cabin.  I  changed  my  position 
eo  as  to  stand  between  him  and  the  door,  gave  him  two  onions 
which  he  saw  on  deck  and  had  an  appetite  for,  and  hurried 


THE    SULTAN'S    BLACK    WIFE.  341 

him  away.  The  shekh  and  all  the  warriors  had  come  down  to 
the  shore,  but  without  their  spears,  and  were  seated  on  the 
ground,  holding  a  consultation.  By  this  time,  however,  the 
rai's  was  at  the  helm,  and  the  sailors  had  begun  to  shove  the 
bow  of  my  boat  into  the  stream.  I  called  out :  "  0  Shekh 
Abd-en-noor  ! "  in  a  familiar  way,  and  waved  my  hand  as  a 
token  of  parting.  He  rose,  returned  the  salute,  made  a  ges- 
ture to  his  men,  and  they  all  went  slowly  back  to  the  village. 
As  we  were  leaving,  the  sailors  informed  me  that  one  of  the 
Shillooks,  who  had  come  down  to  the  boat  while  I  was  seated 
with  the  shekh  on  shore,  took  a  fancy  to  the  fat  black  slave 
who  cooks  for  them,  and  expressed  his  determination  to  take 
her.  They  told  him  she  was  one  of  the  Sultan's  wives,  and 
that  as  His  Majesty  was  now  the  shekh's  friend,  he  dare  not 
touch  her.  "  Oh,"  said  the  Shillook,  "  if  she  is  the  Sultan's 
wife,  that  is  enough;"  and  he  immediately  returned  to  the 
shore.  I  forgave  the  impertinence  of  the  sailors  in  passing  off 
such  a  hideous  creature  as  one  of  my  wives,  in  consideration 
of  the  adroitness  with  which  they  avoided  what  might  have 
been  a  serious  difficulty. 

The  Shillooks  have  not  the  appearance  of  men  who  are 
naturally  malicious.  The  selfish  impudence  witn  wmch  they 
demand  presents,  is  common  to  all  savage  tribes.  But  the 
Turks  and  even  the  European  merchants  who  take  part  in  the 
annual  trading  expeditions  up  the  river,  have  dealt  with  them 
in  such  a  shameful  manner  that  they  are  now  mistrustful  of  all 
strangers,  and  hence  it  is  unsafe  to  venture  among  them.  I 
attribute  the  friendly  character  of  my  interview  with  them  as 
much  to  good  luck  as  to  good  management.  The  rai's  after- 
wards informed  me  that  if  the  shekh  had  not  been   satisfied 


342  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

with  the  dress  I  gave  him,  he  would  certainly  have  attempted 
to  plunder  the  vessel.  He  stated  that  the  Shillooks  are  in  the 
habit  of  going  down  the  river  as  far  as  the  country  of  the  Has- 
saniyehs,  sinking  their  boats  and  concealing  themselves  in  the 
woods  in  the  day-time,  while  by  night  they  venture  into  the 
villages  and  rob  the  people  of  their  dourra,  for  which  they 
have  a  great  fondness.  They  cultivate  nothing  themselves, 
and  their  only  employment  is  the  chase  of  the  elephant,  hippo- 
potamus and  other  wild  beasts.  All  the  region  east  of  the 
river  abounds  with  herds  of  elephants  and  giraffes,  but  I  was 
not  fortunate  enough  to  get  sight  of  them. 

Here  is  the  true  land  of  the  lotus,  and  the  Shillooks,  if  not 
the  lotophagoi  of  the  Greeks,  are,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Chinese,  the  only  modern  eaters  of  the  plant.  I  was  too  late 
to  see  it  in  blossom,  and  there  were  but  few  specimens  of  it 
among  these  islands ;  but  not  far  beyond  Aba  it  appears  in 
great  profusion,  and  both  the  seeds  and  roots  are  eaten  by  the 
natives.  Dr.  Knoblecher,  who  ate  it  frequently  during  his 
voyage,  informed  me  that  the  root  resembles  the  potato  in  con- 
sistence and  taste,  with  a  strong  flavor  of  celery.  These 
islands  are  inhabited  only  by  the  hunters  and  fishers  of  the 
tribe,  wno  abandon  them  in  summer,  when  they  are  complete- 
ly covered  by  the  inundation.  At  lat.  12°,  or  about  thirty 
miles  south  of  Aba,  both  banks  of  the  river  are  cultivated,  and 
thence,  for  upwards  of  two  hundred  miles,  the  villages  are 
crowded  so  close  to  each  other  all  along  the  shores,  that  they 
almost  form  two  continuous  towns,  fronting  each  other.  This 
part  of  the  White  Nile  is  the  most  thickly  populated  region  in 
Africa,  and  perhaps  in  the  world,  China  alone  excepted.  The 
number  of  the  Shillooks  is  estimated  at  between  two  and  three 
millions,  or  equal  to  the  population  of  all  Egypt. 


THE    TURNING    POINT.  343 

As  we  weighed  anchor,  I  found  that  the  men  had  taken 
down  both  sails  and  shipped  the  oars  for  our  return  to  Khar- 
toum. We  had  reached  the  southern  point  of  the  island,  in 
about  lat.  12°  30;  north,  and  the  north-wind  was  still  blowing 
strongly.  The  rounded  tops  of  the  mimosa  forests  bent  south- 
ward as  they  tossed  ;  the  flowery  arms  of  the  ambak-trees 
waved  to  the  south,  trailing  against  the  current,  and  my  heart 
sank  within  me  at  the  thought  of  retracing  my  steps.  We 
had  sailed  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  forty-eight  hours ; 
the  gateway  to  the  unknown  South  was  open,  and  it  seemed  a 
treason  against  Fortune  to  turn  my  face  towards  the  Mediter- 
ranean. "  Achmet ! "  said  I,  "  tell  the  men  to  set  the  trin- 
keet  again.  We  will  sail  to  the  Bahr  el-Ghazal."  The  Theban's 
face  became  ghastly  at  the  bare  idea.  "  0  Master  !"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  are  you  not  satisfied  with  your  good  fortune  ?  We 
are  now  nearly  at  the  end  of  the  earth,  and  if  we  go  further,  it 
will  be  impossible  to  return."  Rai's  Abou-Hammed  declared 
that  he  had  kept  his  word,  and  that  he  should  now  return,  as 
it  had  been  agreed,  before  we  left  Khartoum.  I  knew  there 
was  certain  danger  in  going  further,  and  that  I  had  no  right  to 
violate  my  agreement  and  peril  others  as  well  as  myself;  but 
there  lay  the  great  river,  holding  in  his  lap,  to  tempt  me  on, 
isles  of  brighter  bloom  and  spreading  out  shores  of  yet  richer 
foliage.  I  was  in  the  centre  of  the  Continent.  Beyond  me 
all  was  strange  and  unknown,  and  the  Gulf  of  Guinea  was  less 
distant  than  the  Mediterranean,  which  I  left  not  three  months 
before.  Why  not  push  on  and  attempt  to  grasp  the  Central 
African  secret  ?  The  fact  that  stronger,  braver  and  bolder 
men  had  failed,  was  one  lure  the  more.  Happily  for  me,  per- 
haps, my  object  on  commencing  the  voyage  had  been  rest  and 


344  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

recreation,  not  exploration.  Had  I  been  provided  with  the 
necessary  means  and  scientific  appliances  for  making  such  an 
attempt  useful,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  turn  back  at 
that  point. 

I  climbed  to  the  mast-head  and  looked  to  the  south,  where 
the  forest  archipelago,  divided  by  glittering  reaches  of  water, 
wove  its  labyrinth  in  the  distance.  I  thought  I  saw — but  it 
may  have  been  fancy — beyond  the  leafy  crown  of  the  farthest 
isles,  the  faint  blue  horizon  of  that  sea  of  water  and  grass, 
where  the  palm  again  appears  and  the  lotus  fringes  the  shores. 
A  few  hours  of  the  strong  north-wind,  now  blowing  in  our 
faces,  would  have  taken  me  there,  but  I  gave  myself  up  to 
Fate  and  a  pipe,  which  latter  immediately  suggested  to  me 
that  though  I  was  leaving  the  gorgeous  heart  of  Africa,  I  was 
going  back  to  Civilization  and  Home. 


EXPLORATIONS    OF    THE    WHITE    NILE.  345 


CHAPTEE     XXVII. 

THE      WH  I  T  E       NILE. 

Explorations  of  the  White  Nile— Dr.  Knoblecher's  Voyage  in  1S49-50— The  Lands 
of  the  Shillooks  and  Dinkas— Intercourse  with  the  Natives — Wild  Elephants  and 
Giraffes— The  Sobat  Eiver— The  Country  of  Marshes— The  Gazelle  Lake— The 
Nuehrs — Interview  with  the  Chief  of  the  Kyks — The  Zhir  Country — Land  of  the 
Baris — The  Kapids  Surmounted — Arrival  at  Logwek,  in  Lat.  4°  10'  North  — Panora- 
ma from  Mt.  Logwek — Sources  of  the  White  Nile — Character  of  tho  Bari  Nation— 
Keturn  of  the  Expedition — Fascination  of  the  Nile. 

Let  me  here  pause  a  moment,  at  the  turning-point  of  my  jour- 
ney, and  cast  a  glance  up  the  grand  and  wonderful  vista  which 
the  White  Nile  opened  to  my  view.  The  exploration  of  this 
river  within  the  last  fifteen  years  constitutes  the  most  interest- 
ing chapter  in  the  annals  of  African  Discovery.  It  has  been 
ascended  to  lat.  4°  north,  eight  degrees  of  latitude,  or  four 
hundred  and  eighty  geographical  miles — and  at  least  eight 
hundred  miles,  following  the  course  of  the  stream — beyond  the 
island  of  Aba.  Of  the  Europeans  who  at  different  times  ac- 
companied the  exploring  fleets  of  Mohammed  Ali,  or  the  an- 
nual trading  expeditions,  three  kept  journals  and  made  scien- 
tific observations,  and  two — D'Arnaud  and  Werne — have  pub- 
lished accounts  of  the  voyage.  Wer  tie's  book,  however,  is 
15* 


346  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

taken  up  with  peevish  comments  on  the  conduct  of  D'Arnaud 
and  Saba  tier,  and  the  report  of  the  former,  as  I  learned  from 
Dr.  Knoblecher  himself,  is  incorrect  in  many  particulars. 
The  most  satisfactory  acsount  is  that  of  Dr.  Knoblecher,  who 
ascended  about  fifty  miles  beyond  the  point  reached  by  pre- 
vious expeditions.  During  my  stay  in  Khartoum,  I  received 
from  him  full  particulars  of  his  adventures,  and  was  allowed 
to  inspect  his  journals  and  sketch-books.  His  reports  are  ex- 
ceedingly curious  and  interesting,  and  I  herewith  present  a 
brief  outline  of  them. 

Dr.  Knoblecher  was  specially  educated,  in  the  Propaganda 
at  Home,  as  a  missionary  for  Central  Africa.  After  studying 
the  Arabic  language  for  a  year  in  Syria,  he  proceeded  to 
Khartoum,  where  a  Catholic  Mission  had  already  been  estab- 
lished. There,  however,  the  Mission  found  its  sphere  of  ope- 
rations circumscribed, by  the  jealousy  of  the  government,  as  all 
attempts  to  make  proselytes  of  Mussulmen  are  forbidden,  and 
the  highest  ambition  of  the  slaves  who  are  brought  from  the 
interior  is  to  be  considered  faithful  followers  of  the  Prophet. 
Dr.  Knoblecher  was  therefore  directed  to  accompany  the  an- 
nual trading  expedition  up  the  White  Nile,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  practicability  of  establishing  a  missionary  sta- 
tion among  some  of  the  native  negro  tribes  near  the  Equator. 
He  experienced  much  difficulty  at  the  outset,  on  account  of  the 
jealousy  of  the  Egyptian  traders,  who  find  the  company  of  a 
European  a  restraint  upon  their  violent  and  lawless  practices, 
but  through  the  influence  of  the  Pasha,  who  was  at  last 
brought  to  give  his  consent,  the  missionaries  secured  a  place  in 
the  expedition,  and  on  the  13th  of  November,  1849,  set  sail 
from  Khartoum      There  were  seven  vessels  in  the  flotilla,  and 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  LOTUS.  347 

that  of  Dr.  Knoblecher,  though  the  smallest,  proved  to  be  the 
best  sailer  and  usually  kept  the  lead.  He  had  ou  board  a 
faithful  and  experienced  Nubian  pilot,  named  Suleyman  Abou- 
Zeid. 

After  fourteen  days'  sailing,  the  expedition  passed  the 
islands  of  the  Shillooks  and  reached  that  part  of  the  river 
where  the  banks  are  covered  with  continuous  villages.  The 
number  of  these  is  estimated  at  seven  thousand.  It  is  worthy 
of  notice  that  their  circular  tokuls  of  mud  and  reeds  are  pre- 
cisely similar  in  form  and  construction  to  those  of  the  tribes 
on  the  Niger  and  Senegal  Rivers,  with  whom  the  Shillooks 
have  no  communication,  and  from  whom  they  differ  in  lan- 
guage, appearance  and  character.  While  threading  the  mazes 
of  the  archipelago,  a  violent  whirlwind  passed  over  the  river 
and  completely  dismasted  one  of  the  boats.  Beyond  the 
islands  the  river  expands  so  that  the  marshy  shores  are  barely 
visible  in  some  places.  The  lotus  grows  abundantly  in  the' 
shallows,  and  the  appearance  of  the  thousands  of  snowy  blos- 
soms as  they  flash  open  at  sunrise,  is  described  as  a  scene  of 
vegetable  pomp  and  splendor,  which  can  be  witnessed  in  no 
other  part  of  the  world.  The  forests  of  sont  trees  which  cover 
the  islands  give  place  to  doum-palms  and  immense  tamarinds, 
and  beyond  lat.  10°,  in  the  land  of  the  Dinkas,  the  beautiful 
dhelleb-palm  is  first  seen.  It  has  a  tall,  graceful  trunk,  thick 
in  the  middle,  but  tapering  towards  the  .top  and  bottom,  and  a 
rich  crown  of  large,  fan  like  leaves. 

On  the  twenty-eighth  of  November  the  expedition  succeeded, 
after  some  difficulty,  in  establishing  an  intercourse  with  the  Din- 
kas and  Shillooks,  who  inhabited  the  opposite  banks  of  the  river. 
The  latter  in  consideration  of  some  colored  glass  beads,  fur- 


348  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

nished  a  number  of  oxen  for  provisions.  Dr.  Knoblecher  de- 
scribed their  running,  when  they  drove  the  cattle  together,  as 
resembling  that  of  the  gazelle ;  they  leap  high  into  the  air, 
drawing  up  their  long  legs  as  they  rise,  and  clear  the  ground 
at  a  most  astonishing  speed.  The  next  day  the  vessels  reach- 
ed a  large  town  called  Vav,  where  the  people  received  them 
without  the  least  appearance  of  fear,  and  brought  quantities  of 
elephants'  tusks  to  trade  for  beads.  Herds  of  wild  elephants 
and  giraffes  were  now  frequently  seen  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
and  the  former  sometimes  threw  up  their  trunks  and  spirted 
water  into  the  air  when  they  saw  the  vessels.  Numbers  of 
white  herons  were  perched  composedly  upon  their  backs  and 
heads.  The  giraffes,  as  they  gazed  with  wonder  at  the  fleet, 
lifted  their  heads  quite  above  the  tops  of  the  mimosa  trees, 
On  the  second  of  December,  the  expedition  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Sobat  Biver,  the  only  tributary  stream  which  comes  to 
the  White  Nile  from  the  east.  Its  source  is  supposed  to  be  in 
the  country  of  the  Gallas,  south  of  the  kingdom  of  Shoa.  Its 
breadth,  at  its  entrance  into  the  Nile,  is  six  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  Werne,  who  ascended  it  about  eighty  miles,  with  D'Ar- 
naud's  expedition,  states  that  its  shores  are  higher  than  those 
of  the  Nile,  and  that  the  surface  of  the  country  became  more 
elevated  as  he  ascended,  whence  he  infers  that  the  White  Nile, 
as  far  as  it  has  been  explored,  flows  in  a  depressed  basin  of  the 
table-land  of  Central  Africa. 

From  lat.  9°  26;  to  6°  50y  N.  there  is  a  complete  change  in 
the  scenery.  The  magnificent  forests  disappear,  and  the  shores 
become  marshy  and  unhealthy,  covered  with  tall  grass,  whose 
prickly  stalks  render  landing  difficult,  and  embarrass  the  navi- 
gation of  the  shallows.     The  air  is  heavy  with  noxious  mias- 


THE  GAZELLE  LAKE THE  KYKS.  349 

mas  and  filled  with  countless  swarms  of  gnats  and  mosquitoes. 
The  water  of  the  river  is  partially  stagnant,  and  green  with 
vegetable  matter,  occasioning  serious  disorders  to  those  who 
drink  it.  Dr.  Knoblecher  clarified  it  by  means  of  alum,  and 
escaped  with  a  sore  mouth.  In  order  to  sleep,  however,  he 
was  obliged  to  wear  thick  gloves  and  muffle  up  his  face,  almost 
to  suffocation.  The  Balir  el-Ghazal,  or  Gazelle  Lake,  lies  in 
lat.  9°  16;  N.  It  is  thus  named  from  the  Gazelle  River,  which 
flows  into  it  on  the  western  side,  and  which  has  never  yet  been 
explored.  Its  depth  is  about  nine  feet,  but  the  reeds  and 
water-plants  with  which  it  is  filled  reach  to  the  surface,  and 
render  the  navigation  difficult.  Its  shores  are  inhabited  by 
the  Nuehr  negroes,  a  stupid,  imbruted  race,  many  of  whom  are 
frequently  carried  off  by  the  traders  and  sold  as  slaves.  For 
this  reason  it  is  now  very  difficult  to  procure  elephants'  teeth 
from  them. 

After  leaving  the  Gazelle  Lake,  the  course  of  the  White 
Nile  becomes  exceedingly  tortuous,  and  its  current  sluggish. 
Innumerable  estuaries,  or  blind  channels,  which  lose  themselves 
among  the  reeds,  perplexed  the  pilots,  and  delayed  the  pro- 
gress of  the  expedition.  The  land  of  the  Kyks  succeeded  to 
that  of  the  Nuehrs,  which  terminated  about  the  eighth  parallel 
of  latitude.  The  former  are  a  race  of  herdsmen,  who  have 
great  numbers  of  cattle  and  sheep.  Dr.  Knoblecher  found 
them  exceedingly  shy,  on  account  of  the  threats  of  one  of 
their  kogiurs,  or  soothsayers,  who  had  warned  them  against 
holding  any  intercourse  with  the  traders.  On  the  twenty-sec- 
ond of  December  they  reached  the  village  of  Angwen,  where 
the  King  of  the  Kyks  resided.  The  monarch  received  them 
with  great  kindness,  and  paid  distinguished  homage  to  Padre 


350  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Angelo  Vinco,  Dr.  Knoblecher's  companion,  whom,  on  account 
of  his  spectacles  and  gray  beard,  lie  took  to  be  a  magician 
He  begged  the  Padre  to  grant  him  four  favors,  viz : — abun- 
dance of  children ;  the  death  of  the  enemy  who  had  slain  his 
father ;  victory  in  all  his  fights,  and  a  cure  for  the  wound  in 
his  head.  The  latter  gift  was  easily  bestowed,  by  means  of  a 
plaster,  but  he  was  not  satisfied  until  an  image  of  the  Virgin 
had  been  hung  around  his  neck. 

South  of  the  Kyks  dwell  the  Elliabs,  who  are  less  timid 
than  the  southern  tribes,  because  they  come  less  frequently  in- 
to contact  with  the  traders.  In  their  country  the  White  Nile 
divides  into  two  branches,  and  here  the  expedition  separated, 
each  division  taking  a  different  channel.  The  water  was  so  low 
that  the  vessels  stuck  fast  in  the  mud,  but  were  relieved  by  the 
friendly  natives,  who  dragged  them  through  the  shallows  by 
means  of  long  tow-ropes.  For  this  service  they  were  paid  in 
glass  beads.  The  further  the  vessels  went  into  regions  where 
intercourse  with  the  Egyptian  traders  is  rare,  and  therefore 
fewer  outrages  are  perpetrated,  the  more  friendly,  confiding 
and  unconcerned  was  the  behavior  of  the  natives. 

On  the  thirty-first  of  December  the  expedition  reached  the 
country  of  the  Zhirs.  The  people  came  down  to  the  water's 
edge  to  greet  them,  the  women  clapping  their  hands  and  sing- 
ing a  song  of  welcome.  On  the  second  of  January,  1850,  Dr. 
Knoblecher  saw  in  the  south-east  the  granite  mountain  of 
Nierkanyi,  which  lies  in  the  Bari  country,  in  about  the  fifth 
degree  of  north  latitude.  It  was  the  first  elevation  he  had 
seen  since  leaving  Djebel  Defafangh,  in  the  country  of  the 
Pinkas,  in  lat.  10°  35'.  All  the  intervening  space  is  a  vast 
savannah,  interspersed  with  reedy  swamps  of  stagnant,  water. 


TIIE    BARI    COUXTRY.  351 

The  Zhirs  own  numerous  flocks  and  herds,  and  cultivate  large 
fields  of  sesame  and  dourra.  They  are  very  superior  to  the 
Nuehrs  and  Kyks  in  stature,  symmetry  of  form  and  their  man- 
ners toward  strangers.  In  all  these  tribes,  the  men  go  entire- 
ly naked,  while  the  women  wear  a  narrow  girdle  of  sheepskin 
around  the  loins.  Dr.  Knoblecher,  however,  confirmed  the 
statement  of  Werne  as  to  the  modesty  of  their  demeanor  and 
the  evident  morality  of  their  domestic  life. 

After  leaving  the  Zhirs  the  expedition  entered  the  country 
of  the  Baris,  and  on  the  fourteenth  of  January  reached  the 
rapids  of  the  White  Nile,  at  the  island  of  Tsanker,  in  4°  49 7  N. 
This  was  the  farthest  point  reached  by  all  previous  expeditions, 
as  they  found  it  impossible  to  advance  further  with  their  ves- 
sels. The  Nubian  pilot,  Suleyman  Abou-Zeid,  determined  to 
make  the  attempt,  and  on  the  following  day,  aided  by  a  strong 
north-wind,  stemmed  the  rapid  and  reached  the  broad,  lake-like 
expanse  of  river  above  it.  Continuing  his  voyage,  Dr.  Knoblech- 
er sailed  sixteen  miles  further,  to  the  Bari  village  of  Tokiman. 
The  country  was  exceedingly  rich  and  beautiful,  abounding  in 
trees,  and  densely  peopled.  The  current  of  the  river  was  more 
rapid,  its  waters  purer,  and  the  air  seemed  to  have  entirely  lost 
the  depressing  miasmatic  exhalations  of  the  regions  further 
north.  The  inhabitants  of  Tokiman  showed  great  astonish- 
ment1 at  the  sight  of  the  vessels  and  their  white  occupants 
Nothing,  however,  affected  them  so  much  as  the  tones  of  a  har- 
monica, played  by  Dr.  Knoblecher.  Many  of  the  people  shed 
tears  of  delight,  and  the  chief  offered  the  sovereignty  of  his 
tribe  in  exchange  for  the  wonderful  instrument. 

On  the  sixteenth,  the  expedition  reached  the  village  of 
Logwek,  which  takes  its  name  from  a  solitary  granite  peak, 


352  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

about  six  hundred  feet  high,  which  stands  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Nile.  It  is  in  lat.  4°  107  N.,  and  this  is  the  most  southern 
point  which  has  yet  been  reached  on  the  White  Nile.  Dr. 
Knoblecher  ascended  the  mountain,  which  commanded  a  view 
of  almost  the  entire  Bari  country.  Towards  the  south-west 
the  river  wound  out  of  sight  between  the  mountains  II ego  and 
Kidi,  near  which  is  the  mountain  of  Kereg,  containing  rich 
iron  mines  which  are  worked  by  the  natives.  Towards  the 
south,  on  the  very  verge  of  the  horizon,  rose  a  long  range  of 
hills,  whose  forms  could  not  be  observed  with  exactness,  owing 
to  the  great  distance.  Beyond  the  Logwaya  range,  which  ap- 
peared in  the  east,  dwell  the  Berri  tribes,  whose  language  is 
distinct  from  the  Baris,  and  who  are  neighbors  of  the  Gallas — 
that  warlike  race,  whose  domain  extends  from  Abyssinia  to  the 
wilds  of  Mozambique,  along  the  great  central  plateau  of  TJnia- 
mesi.  The  natives  of  Logwek  knew  nothing  whatever  of  the 
country  to  the  south.  The  farthest  mountain-range  was  prob- 
ably under  the  parallel  of  lat.  3°  N.,  so  that  the  White  Nile 
has  now  been  traced  nearly  to  the  Equator.  At  Logwek,  it 
was  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  and  from  five  to 
eight  feet  deep,  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Knoblecher's  visit,  which 
was  during  the  dry  season.  Such  an  abundance  of  water 
allows  us  to  estimate  with  tolerable  certainty  the  distance  to 
its  unknown  soum^ivrnch  must  undoubtedly  lie  beyond  the 
Equator. 

The  great  snow  mountain  of  Kilimandjaro,  discovered  in 
1850  by  Dr.  Krapf,  the  German  missionary,  on  his  journey 
inland  from  Mombas,  on  the  coast  of  Zanzibar,  has  been  loca- 
ted by  geographers  in  lat.  3°  S.  It  is  therefore  most  probable 
that  the  source  of  the  White  Nile  will  be  found  in  the  range 


THE    SOURCE    OF    THE    WHITE    NILE.  353 

of  mountains,  of  which  Kilimanjaro  is  the  crown'ng  apex. 
The  geographer  Berghaus,  in  a  long  and  labored  article,  en- 
deavors to  prove  that  the  Gazelle  River  is  the  true  Nile,  and 
makes  it  rise  in  the  great  lake  N'Yassi,  in  lat.-13°  S.  Dr. 
Knoblecher,  however,  who  examined  the  Bahr  el-Ghazal  at  its 
mouth,  says  it  is  an  unimportant  stream,  with  a  scarcely  per- 
ceptible current.  He  considers  the  White  Nile  as  being,  be- 
yond all  question,  the  true  river.  Pie  also  informed  me,  that, 
while  at  Logwek,  some  of  the  natives  spoke  of  people  white 
like  himself,  who  lived  far  towards  the  south.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve in  the  fable  of  a  white  civilized  race  in  the  interior  of 
Africa,  and  consider  this  rather  as  referring  to  the  Portuguese 
settlements  on  the  coast  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  reports  of  which 
would  readily  be  carried  inland,  from  one  tribe  to  another. 
Dr.  Knoblecher  is  of  the  opinion  that  no  exploring  expedition 
from  Khartoum  will  be  successful ;  that  the  traveller  must  first 
stop  in  the  Bari  country  long  enough  to  gain  some  knowledge 
of  its  people,  and  then,  with  a  company  of  the  natives  as  his 
attendants,  make  that  his  starting  point. 

The  shortness  of  Dr.  Knoblecher's  stay  among  the  Baris 
did  not  permit  him  to  obtain  much  information  concerning 
them.  They  appeared  to  be  worshippers  of  trees,  like  the 
Dinkas  and  Shillooks,  but  to  have  a  glimmering  idea  of  the 
future  existence  of  the  soul.  They  are  brave  and  fearless  in 
their  demeanor,  yet  cheerful,  good-natured  and  affectionate 
towards  each  other.  Werne  frequently  observed  the  men 
walking  along  the  shore  with  their  arms  around  each  other's 
necks.  They  are  even  more  colossal  in  their  stature  than  the 
Shillooks,  many  of  them  reaching  a  height  of  seven  feet 
Their  forms  are  well-knit,    symmetrical,  and    indicate   great 


354  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

strength  and  activity.  In  smelting  and  working  up  the  iron 
ore  of  Mount  Kereg  they  show  a  remarkable  skill.  Many  of 
the  spears  in  Dr.  Knoblechei^s  possession  are  as  elegantly 
formed  and  as  admirably  tempered  as  if  they  had  come  from 
the  hands  of  a  European  blacksmith.  They  also  have  war- 
clubs  of  ebony,  which  are  nearly  as  hard  and  heavy  as  iron. 
One  end  is  of  a  sloping,  oval  form,  and  the  other  sharp,  and 
they  are  said  to  throw  them  a  distance  of  fifty  or  a  hundred 
yards  with  such  precision  that  the  sharp  point  strikes  first  and 
tne  club  passes  through  the  body  like  a  lance  I  have  in  my 
possession  some  of  these  clubs,  which  were  presented  to  me  by 
Dr.  Knoblecher. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  January  the  expedition  left  Logwek 
on  its  return  to  Khartoum,  the  traders  having  procured  all  the 
ivory  which  the  natives  had  collected  since  the  previous  year. 
The  Missionaries  were  prevented  from  accomplishing  their  ob- 
ject by  the  jealousy  of  the  traders,  who  persuaded  the  Bari 
chiefs  that  they  were  magicians,  and  that  if  they  were  allowed 
to  remain,  they  would  bewitch  the  country,  prevent  the  rains 
from  falling  and  destroy  the  crops  of  dourra.  In  consequence 
of  these  reports  the  chiefs  and  people,  who  had  been  on  the 
most  friendly  terms  with  Dr.  Knoblecher  and  Padre  Angelo, 
suddenly  became  shy  and  suspicious,  and  refused  to  allow  the 
latter  to  take  up  their  residence  among  them.  The  design  of 
the  mission  was  thus  frustrated,  and  the  Yicar  returned  with 
the  expedition  to  Khaitoum.  He  designed  leaving  for  the 
Bari  country  in  November,  1852,  but  up  to  the  present  mo- 
ment* no  account  has  been  received  of  the  fulfilment  of  his  plans. 

The  pictures  which  these  recent  explorations  present  to  ug, 

*July,  1854. 


THE    FASCINATION    OF    THE    NILE.  356 

add  to  the  stately  and  sublime  associations  with  which  the 
Nile  is  invested,  and  that  miraculous  flood  will  lose  nothing  of 
his  interest  when  the  mystery  which  veils  his  origin  shall  be 
finally  dispelled.  Although  in  standing  upon  the  threshold 
of  his  vast  central  realms,  I  felt  that  I  had  realized  a  portion 
of  my  dream,  I  could  not  turn  away  from  the  vision  of  those 
untrodden  solitudes,  crowned  by  the  flashing  snows  of  Kili- 
raandjaro,  the  monarch  of  African  mountains,  without  a  keen 
pang  of  regret.  Since  Columbus  first  looked  upon  San  Sal- 
vador, the  Earth  has  but  one  emotion  of  triumph  left  in  her 
bestowal — and  that  she  reserves  for  him  who  shall  first  drink 
from  the  fountains  of  the  White  Nile,  under  the  snow-fields 
of  Kilimandjaro. 


856  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER     XXVIII. 

THE       HASSANIYBH       ARABS. 

We  leave  the  Islands  of  the  Shillooks — Tropical  Jungles — A  Whim  and  its  Consequen- 
ces-Lair-of  Wild  Beasts — Arrival  among  the  Hassaniyehs — A  Village — The  Wo- 
man and  the  Sultan — A  Dance  of  Salutation — My  Arab  Sailor — A  Swarthy  Cleopa- 
tra — Salutation  of  the  Saint— Miraculous  Fishing — Night  View  of  a  Hassaniyeli  Vil- 
lage— Wad  Shellayeh— A  Shekh's  Residence— An  Ebony  Cherub — The  Cook  At- 
tempts Suicide— Evening  Landscape — The  Natives  and  their  Cattle — A  Boyish 
Governor — We  reach  Khartoum  at  Midnight. 

After  we  parted  from  the  Shillooks  the  men  rowed  lustily, 
and,  taking  to  the  western  side  of  the  river,  soon  put  an  island 
between  us  and  the  village.  It  was  about  two  o'clock  when 
we  left,  and  the  wind  foil  sufficiently  before  night  to  allow 
them  to  make  considerable  progress.  We  swept  along,  under 
the  lee  of  the  islands,  brushing  the  starry  showers  of  yellow 
blossoms  that  trailed  in  the  water,  and  frightening  the  ibises 
and  herons  from  their  coverts  among  the  reeds.  The  hippo- 
potami snorted  all  around  us,  and  we  had  always  a  convoy  of 
them  following  in  our  wake.  The  sun  sank,  and  a  moon,  four 
days  old,  lighted  the  solitude  of  the  islands,  but  the  men  still 
rowed  vigorously,  until  we  had  passed  the  spot  where  the  Shil- 
looks buried  their  canoes  in  the  morning.     They  then  deemed 


A    TROPICAL    JUNGLE.  357 

it  safe  to  come  to  anchor  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  though 
the  watch-fires  of  the  savages  were  still  blazing  brightly  in  the 
distance.  During  the  night  the  wind  blew  violently,  and  the 
river  was  rough  and  agitated.  We  all  went  to  sleep,  therefore, 
feeling  certain  that  no  predatory  canoes  would  venture  to  fol- 
low us. 

In  the  morning  there  was  a  strong  head-wind,  and  the  tem- 
perature was  so  cold  that  I  was  obliged  to  wear  my  thick  ca- 
pote of  camel's  hair  while  I  sat  on  deck,  looking  regretfully  at 
the  beautiful  islands  I  was  leaving  behind  me.  Achmet  heat- 
ed and  strained  the  honey  given  me  by  the  Shillooks,  which 
yielded  between  three  and  four  quarts  of  rich  liquid.  While 
the  men  made  fast  to  the  bank  for  breakfast,  I  went  on  shore 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  country  behind  the  forests.  Paths 
trodden  by  wild  beasts  led  through  the  walls  of  tangled  vines 
that  elsewhere  were   impenetrable,  and   I   crept   along  them, 

under  the  boughs  of  strange  trees  and  through  thickets  of  lux- 
es o  o 

u riant  shrubs.  At  length  I  reached  an  open  patch  of  grass 
four  or  five  feet  in  height,  and  so  dry  and  yellow  that  it  snap- 
ped like  glass  under  my  feet.  It  was  dotted  with  clumps  of 
high  shrubs,  knotted  all  over  with  wild,  flowering  vines,  which 
formed  admirable  lairs  for  the  lions  and  leopards.  There  was 
a  strong  smell  of  lions  about  the  place,  and  I  deemed  it  pru- 
dent not  to  venture  far,  since  the  rank  animal  odor  peculiar  to 
that  beast  grew  more  marked  the  further  I  went.  The  jungle 
in  which  I  stood  covered  a  tongue  of  land  inclosed  between  two 
coves  of  the  river,  and  through  the  openings  in  the  thickets  I 
saw  that  it  led  to  other  open  tracts  further  inland.  The  wind 
was  blowing  towards  the  river,  and  as  I  stood  in  the  midst, 
contemplating  the  wild,  lawless  grouping  of  the  differeut  trees 


358  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

and   shrubs   some   imp    of  darkness   whispered    in  my   ear 
"  What  a  magnificent  conflagration  this  would  make  !  and  then, 
perhaps,  you  might  have   the  satisfaction  of  burning  out  a  brace 
of  lions  ! "     Without  more  ado,  I  whipped  out  a  box  of  match- 
es, and  struck  fire  in  one  of  the  thickest  tufts. 

The  effect  was  instantaneous,  and  so  was  my  repentance. 
There  was  a  crack  and  a  crash,  like  the  explosion  of  powder, 
and  a  sheet  of  red  flame  leaped  into  the  air.  In  a  few  seconds 
it  had  spread  to  a  broad  swath  of  fire,  rolling  rapidly  before 
the  wind,  and  leaving  the  earth  behind  it  as  bare  as  the  palm 
of  my  hand.  The  rank  grass  roared  and  snapped  as  the  terri- 
ble power  I  had  so  thoughtlessly  awakened,  licked  it  away ; 
and  not  the  grass  alone.  It  seized  on  the  vines  and  tore  them 
down,  swung  itself  by  them  into  the  boughs  of  the  trees,  and 
found  richer  aliment  in  their  gums  and  juices.  It  spread  on 
both  sides  and  against  the  wind,  and  soon  the  long  spires  of 
scarlet  flame,  twisting  in  the  air,  rose  high  and  hot  above  the 
dome- like  tops  of  the  mimosa  forests.  Before  we  left  the 
place,  the  volumes  of  smoke  reached  nearly  to  the  other  side 
of  the  Nile.  As  I  heard  its  relentless  feet  trampling  down 
the  thickets,  I  tormented  myself  with  pictures  of  the  evil 
which  I  had  perhaps  originated.  I  fancied  it  spreading  from 
day  to  day,  lapping  the  woods  in  coils  of  flame  and  flinging 
their  burning  boughs  from  island  to  island,  till  of  all  the  glory 
of  vegetation  which  had  filled  me  with  such  rapture,  there  was 
nothing  but  a  few  charred  trunks  standing  in  beds  of  ashes. 
I  saw  the  natives  with  their  flocks  and  herds  flying  before  it, 
the  wild  beasts  leaping  into  the  flood  for  refuge  from  its  red 
fangs,  and  all  that  glorious  region  given  up  to  terror  and  deso- 
lation.    As  we  moved  slowly  away,  against  the  wind,  I  watch- 


THE    CONFLAGRATION.  359 

ed  its  progress  with  a  troubled  conscience  and  an  anxious 
heart.  Now  it  paused  and  I  flattered  myself  that  there  was 
the  end,  but  the  next  moment  the  black  clouds  rolled  up 
denser  than  ever.  Thus  it  wavered  for  some  time,  but  at  last, 
thank  God  !  it  seemed  to  fade  gradually  away,  and  I  gave  my- 
self the  hope  that  it  had  not  extended  beyond  the  jut  of  land 
whereon  it  was  kindled. 

At  noon  we  passed  the  locality  marked  on  D'Arnaud's  map 
as  El-Ais,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  habitation.  The  ra'i's  said 
there  had  been  a  town  some  distance  inland,  but  it  is  now  de- 
serted. The  river  here  makes  a  curve  to  the  west,  and  our 
small  stern-sail  was  bound  to  the  foremast,  in  order  to  use  the 
side-wind.  My  sailors  were  unremitting  in  their  labors,  and 
rowed,  poled  and  tracked  the  whole  day.  I  sat  in  the  sun  all 
the  while,  looking  on  the  incomparable  shores.  We  saw  mul- 
titudes of  gazelles  along  the  water's  edge,  on  both  sides. 
They  were  in  companies  of  forty  or  fifty,  and  so  little  shy, 
that  they  often  allowed  us  to  approach  within  fifty  yards. 
Wild  fowl  were  as  abundant  as  ever,  and  I  greatly  regretted 
having  brought  no  rifle  and  fowling-piece.  When  we  reached 
the  northern  extremity  of  Hassaniyeh,  at  sunset,  I  went  ashore 
on  the  eastern  bank,  hoping  to  find  a  gazelle.  The  thickets 
were  almost  impenetrable,  and  I  made  my  way  with  difficulty 
into  a  more  open  space,  where  the  trees  grew  in  clumps  and 
the  lion-paths  had  broken  a  way  between  them.  Each  of  these 
clumps  was  woven  into  a  single  mass  with  vines,  forming  cov- 
erts of  deepest  shade,  wherein  a  beast  might  crouch  unobserv- 
ed, even  at  mid-day.  The  ground  was  covered  with  dry  bur- 
grass,  whose  heads  pierced  through  my  clothes.  One  of  the 
sailors  accompanied  me  with  a  club,  but  was  in  such  deadly 


360  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

fear  of  lions  that  lie  obliged  me  to  return  to  the  shore.  Cer- 
tainly, this  is  the  paradise  of  wild  beasts.  Such  convenient 
lairs  they  can  find  in  no  other  part  of  the  world,  and  the  thou- 
sands of  gazelles  and  antelopes  that  range  through  the  wilder- 
ness furnish  them  with  a  choice  bill  of  fare.  The  trees  and 
vines  were  nearly  all  new  to  me.  I  noticed  in  particular,  a 
succulent  vine,  resembling  the  cactus  and  cereus  families,  but 
with  square,  fluted  joints.  It  grew  so  thickly  as  frequently  to 
conceal  entirely  the  tree  that  supported  it.  I  also  saw  a 
shrub  with  leaves  like  the  ivy,  but  a  large,  purple,  bell-shaped 
flower,  and  another  with  delicate,  fern-like  leaves  of  a  dark- 
green  color,  and  white,  fragrant  blossoms.  There  was  a 
greater  variety  in  the  vegetable  world  than  I  had  yet  seen. 
What  must  be  the  splendor  of  the  land  during  the  rainy  sea- 
son !  I  found  a  peculiar  fascination  in  tracing  the  wild  paths 
through  the  thickets.  It  was  a  labyrinth  to  which  there  was 
no  end,  and  the  sense  of  danger  gave  a  spice  to  its  richness 
and  novelty.  Occasionally,  I  saw  large  holes  in  the  ground, 
which  my  attendant  said  were  those  of  serpents.  No  gazelle 
was  to  be  seen,  and  when  I  reached  the  shore  again,  the  wild 
geese  had  left.  The  wind  fell  at  sunset,  and  the  sailors  rowed 
cheerily  down  stream,  singing  the  while  a  barbaric  chorus, 
which  they  had  learned  from  the  slaves  brought  from  Fazogl. 

The  sun,  next  morning,  showed  us  a  very  different  land- 
scape from  that  of  the  previous  two  days.  The  river  was 
broader,  but  the  shores  were  clothed  with  a  more  scanty  vege- 
tation, and  the  few  islands  in  the  stream  were  but  beds  of  sand. 
When  the  men  stopped  for  breakfast  we  were  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  a  village  of  'Hassaniyehs,  as  I  had  previously  conjec- 
tured, from  the  camels  and  donkeys  grazing  among  the  thorns. 


VISIT    TO    A    HASSANIYEH    VILLAGE.  361 

Leaving  the  sailors  to  kill  one  of  our  sheep,  I  took  Achmet 
and  the  rais,  and  followed  the  paths  inland  through  a  wood  of 
scattering  mimosas.  After  a  walk  of  ten  minutes  we  came  to 
the  village,  or  rather  encampment,  since  the  dwellings  were 
mere  tents  of  sticks  and  reeds.  They  were  barely  large  enough 
to  cover  the  two  or  three  angarebs,  which  served  as  a  bed  for 
the  whole  family.  Although  the  sun  was  an  hour  high,  not 
more  than  half  the  inhabitants  were  stirring.  The  others, 
men  and  women,  thrust  their  heads  from  under  their  dirty  cot- 
ton mantles  and  looked  at  us  with  astonishment  not  unmixed 
with  fear.  The  women  who  had  already  risen  sat  on  the 
ground  kindling  the  fires,  or  spinning  with  a  rude  distaff  the 
raw  cotton  which  these  people  cultivate.  We  found  two  or 
three  men,  whom  we  saluted  with  the  usual  "  Peace  be  with 
you  ! "  and  the  rais  informed  them  that  the  Sultan's  son,  re- 
turning from  a  visit  to  the  Shillooks,  with  whom  he  had  made 
a  treaty  of  peace,  had  come  to  see  them.  Thereupon  one  of 
them  brought  an  angareb  and  set  it  in  the  shade  for  me,  while 
another  caught  a  she-goat  that  was  browsing  among  the  bushes, 
and  soon  returned  with  a  gourd  half  full  of  warm  milk,  which 
he  gave  me.  As  sour  milk  is  considered  a  great  delicacy 
among  these  people,  a  gourd  of  it  was  also  procured  for  me. 
The  woman  who  brought  it  knelt  and  placed  it  at  my  feet,  but 
as  I  could  not  drink  it  and  did  not  wish  to  refuse  their  gift,  I 
asked  one  of  the  men  to  take  it  to  the  boat.  He  hesitated, 
evidently  afraid  to  trust  himself  with  us,  whereupon  the  wo- 
man said  :  "I  am  not  afraid  to  go  with  the  Sultan  ;  I  will 
take  it."  As  we  started  to  return,  the  man,  whose  sense  of 
bravery,  and  perhaps  his  jealousy  also,  was  touched  by  this  re- 
mark, came  likewise  and  accompanied  us  to  the  river.  "When 
16 


362  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

we  reached  the  vessel  I  sent  the  milk  on  board  for  the  sailors' 
use,  and  gave  the  woman  two  piastres  in  copper  money  and  a 
handful  of  tobacco.  She  immediately  put  her  hand  to  her 
mouth  and  uttered  a  piercing,  prolonged  cry,  which  the  rais 
said  was  intended  as  an  expression  of  great  joy.  After  repeat- 
ing this  two  or  three  times  she  dropped  on  her  knees,  and  be- 
fore I  could  divine  her  intention,  kissed  my  red  slipper. 

In  a  short  time  I  received  word  that  the  women  of  the 
village  would  come  to  perforin  a  dance  of  welcome  and  saluta- 
tion, if  I  would  allow  them.  As  the  wind  was  blowing  strong- 
ly against  us  and  the  sailors  had  not  finished  skinning  the 
sheep,  I  had  my  carpet  spread  on  the  sand  in  the  shade  of  a 
group  of  mimosas,  and  awaited  their  arrival.  Presently  we 
heard  a  sound  of  shrill  singing  and  the  clapping  of  hands  in 
measured  beat,  and  discerned  the  procession  advancing  slowly 
through  the  trees.  They  came  two  by  two,  nearly  thirty  in 
all,  singing  a  shrill,  piercing  chorus,  which  sounded  more  like 
lamentation  than  greeting.  When  they  had  arrived  in  front 
of  me,  they  ranged  themselves  into  a  semicircle  with  their 
faces  towards  me,  and,  still  clapping  their  hands  to  mark  the 
rhythm  of  the  song,  she  who  stood  in  the  centre  stepped  forth, 
with  her  breast  heaved  almost  to  a  level  with  her  face,  which 
was  thrown  back,  and  advanced  with  a  slow,  undulating  motion 
till  she  had  reached  the  edge  of  my  carpet.  Then,  with  a 
quick  jerk,  she  reversed  the  curve  of  her  body,  throwing  her 
head  forward  and  downward,  so  that  the  multitude  of  her  lon<* 
twists  of  black  hair,  shining  with  butter,  brushed  my  cap. 
This  was  intended  as  a  salutation  and  sign  of  welcome.  I 
bowed  my  head  at  the  same  time,  and  she  went  back  to  her 
place  in  the  ranks.    After  a  pause  the  chorus  was  resumed  and 


THE    DANCE    OF    SALUTATION.  363 

another  advanced,  and  so  in  succession,  till  all  had  saluted  me, 
a  ceremony  which  occupied  an  hour.  They  were  nearly  all 
young,  between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  twenty,  and  some 
were  strikingly  beautiful.  They  had  the  dark-olive  Arab 
complexion,  with  regular  features,  teeth  of  pearly  whiteness, 
and  black,  brilliant  eyes.  The  coarse  cotton  robe  thrown  over 
one  shoulder  left  free  the  arms,  neck  and  breasts,  which  were 
exquisitely  moulded.  Their  bare  feet  and  ankles  were  as  slen- 
der as  those  of  the  Venus  of  Cleomenes.  Owing  to  the  skirts 
worn  by  the  American  women  ,  I  have  no  recollection  of  ever 
having  seen  an  entire  foot  belonging  to  them,  and  therefore 
can  make  no  comparison  ;  but  I  doubt  if  one  in  a  thousand 
stands  on  so  light  and  beautiful  a  pedestal  as  those  wild  Afri- 
can girls.  There  were  two  or  three  old  women  in  the  com- 
pany, but  they  contented  themselves  with  singing  and  did  not 
venture  into  the  lists  with  the  younger  ones. 

Several  of  the  men,  who  had  followed  in  the  rear  of  the 
women,  came  and  sat  near  us,  on  the  sand.  They  were  all  evi- 
dently delighted  with  the  occasion,  and  encouraged  the  more 
timid  of  the  dancers  by  their  words.  One  of  them  was  an  old 
man,  with  a  long  gray  moustache  and  beard,  carrying  in  his 
hand  a  spear,  pointed  with  iron.  My  rai's  and  sailors  were  on 
the  ground,  and  one  of  the  latter,  a  splendid  fellow,  whose 
form  was  almost  perfect  in  its  manly  strength,  took  his  station 
among  the  women  and  acted  as  master  of  the  ceremonies.  He 
drew  a  line  in  the  sand  down  the  centre  of  the  ring,  and 
another  along  the  edge  of  my  carpet,  and  she  who  did  not 
dance  down  the  line  until  the  final  toss  of  her  head  threw  her 
hair  over  the  Sultan's  cap,  was  obliged  to  perform  her  part 
over  again.     My  sailor  clapped  his  hands,  joined  in  the  song, 


3C4  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

and  movod  with  such  entire  and  absolute  grace  in  the  dance, 
that  he  almost  drew  away  my  attention  from  the  women.  He 
was  of  the  Djaaleyu  tribe,  and  therefore  of  pure  Arabian 
blood.  As  the  ceremony  was  prolonged,  they  accompanied  the 
dance  with  a  hard,  guttural  breathing,  in  time  with  the  music, 
and  some  of  the  old  women,  in  their  anxiety  to  encourage  the 
younger  and  more  timid  dancers,  leaned  forward  with  eager 
eyes,  uttering  short,  quick  screams  at  intervals.  It  was  a 
most  remarkable  scene ;  the  figures  and  the  dancers  were  un- 
like any  thing  I  ever  witnessed.  For  the  first  time,  in  fact — 
perhaps  because  I  had  hitherto  seen  few  women  unveiled — I 
found  undoubted  beauty  in  the  Arab  female  countenance. 

The  last  dancer  was  the  wife  of  the  Shekh,  who  came  to- 
wards the  close,  with  two  negro  slaves  behind  her.  She  was  a 
woman  of  twenty,  and  the  most  beautiful  of  the  group.  Mak- 
ing allowance  for  the  difference  in  complexion,  she  had  a  strong 
resemblance  to  the  Cleopatra  of  Guido.  Her  eyes  were  large, 
black  and  lustrous ;  her  face  the  full,  ripe  oval  of  the  South, 
with  a  broad,  round  forehead,  perfect  lips  and  a  most  queenly 
neck  and  chin.  She  wore  a  diadem  of  white  beads,  under 
which  her  thick  hair — unfortunately  plastered  with  butter — 
hung  to  her  shoulders  in  at  least  fifty  slender  braids.  She 
went  through  the  monotonous  movement  of  the  dance  with  the 
stately  ease  of  a  swan  gliding  down  a  stream,  and  so  delighted 
my  sailors  and  the  men  who  had  come  down  from  the  village, 
that  she  was  obliged  to  repeat  her  salutation  several  times.  I 
bowed  lower  to  her  than  to  the  others,  but  took  care  to  keep 
her  unctuous  braids  from  touching  my  face.  When  all  was 
concluded,  I  directed  Achmet  to  distribute  a  few  handful s  of 
copper  money  among  them,  whereupon  they  returned  to  the 


A    SAINT MIRACULOUS    FISHING.  365 

village,  uttering  sharp  yells  of  joy  as  they  went.  After  they 
had  left,  I  asked  the  men  whether  what  I  had  heard  in  Khar- 
toum, concerning  the  peculiar  conjugal  customs  of  the  tribe, 
was  true,  and  they  replied  that  it  was. 

As  we  were  about  leaving,  one  of  the  shekhs,  or  holy  men 
of  the  tribe,  came  down  to  greet  me.  He  was  an  old  man  in  a 
blue  cotton  mantle,  and  had  with  him  two  attendants.  After 
touching  my  hand  twice  and  asking  many  times  for  my  health, 
he  commenced  singing  passages  of  the  Koran,  in  a  loud,  reso- 
nant, and  not  unmusical  tone,  somewhat  resembling  the  sunset 
cry  of  the  muezzin  from  his  minaret.  The  two  others  respond- 
ed, and  thus  this  religious  entertainment  was  kept  up  for  some 
time.  But  the  rai's  was  at  his  post  and  the  wind  had  fallen, 
so  I  acted  my  despotic  character  of  Sultan,  by  leaving  the  holy 
man  in  the  midst  of  his  chanting  and  going  on  board.  When 
we  left  he  was  still  standing  under  the  mimosas,  singing  of 
Mohammed,  the  Prophet  of  God. 

We  made  but  little  headway  during  the  afternoon,  al- 
though the  men  worked  faithfully.  Djebel  Deyoos,  whose 
loose  cluster  of  peaks  is  seen  for  a  great  distance  over  the 
plains  of  Kordofan,  still  kept  us  company,  and  did  not  pass  out 
of  our  horizon  until  the  next  evening.  The  men  towed  for 
several  hours,  and  as  the  shore  was  flat  and  the  river  very 
shallow  they  were  obliged  to  walk  in  the  water.  While  Ach- 
met  was  preparing  dinner,  a  fish  about  the  size  of  a  herring 
vaulted  upon  deck  and  fell  at  his  feet.  He  immediately  clap- 
ped it  into  the  frying-pan  and  presented  me  with  an  acceptable 
dish.  To  his  unbounded  astonishment  and  my  great  satisfac- 
tion, the  same  thing  happened  three  days  in  succession,  at  pre- 
cisely the  same  hour.     "  Wallah,  master  ! "  he  exclaimed  :  "  it 


306  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

is  wonderful!  I  never  knew  such,  a  thing  to  happen  in  Egypt; 
and  it  must  certainly  be  a  sign  of  good  fortune.  If  you  were 
not  a  lucky  man,  the  fish  would  never  offer  themselves  for  your 
dinner  in  this  way." 

By  night  the  men  could  make  no  headway  against  the  wind, 
which  continued  unabated  nearly  all  the  next  day.  They 
worked  hard,  stimulated  by  the  promise  of  an  abundant  supply 
of  mareesa  at  the  next  Hassaniyeh  village.  In  the  afternoon 
we  passed  Tura,  which  I  recognized  by  the  herds  of  camels  on 
shore  and  the  ferry-boats  passing  back  and  forth  across  the 
broad  stream.  I  walked  an  hour  or  two  while  the  men  were 
towing,  but  was  obliged  to  keep  to  the  shore,  on  account  of  the 
burr-grass  which  covered  all  the  country  inland.  This  part  of 
the  river  is  thickly  settled  by  the  Hassaniyehs,  whose  principal 
wealth  appears  to  consist  in  their  sheep,  goats  and  camels. 
They  complained  very  much  of  the  Shillooks,  who  come  down 
the  river  on  predatory  incursions,  carry  off  their  sheep  and 
dourra,  and  frequently  kill  the  children  who  tend  the  herds. 

By  dint  of  unremitting  exertions,  we  reached  a  small  vil- 
lage which  the  rai's  called  Wad  Shellayeh,  about  two  hours 
after  sunset.  The  men  carried  me  ashore  through  the  shallows, 
and  I  went  with  them  to  the  village  to  perform  my  promise 
regarding  the  mareesa.  We  extinguished  the  lantern  for  fear  of 
alarming  the  inhabitants,  and  walked  slowly  through  the  wil- 
derness of  thorns.  The  village  lay  half  a  mile  inland,  between 
two  low  hills  of  sand.  The  dwellings  were  mere  tokuls,  like 
those  of  the  Shillooks,  and  made  of  the  long  grass  of  the  Des- 
ert. Each  house  was  surrounded  with  a  fence  of  thorns.  The 
inhabitants  were  sitting  at  the  doors  in  the  moonlight,  calling 
out  to  each  other  and  exchanging  jokes,  while  herds  of  the 


WAD    SIIELLAYEH.  367 

Blender  yellow  dogs  of  Soudan  barked  on  all  sides.  While 
the  rai's  and  sailors  were  procuring  their  mareesa  I  entered 
one  of  the  tokuls,  which  was  superior  to  those  I  had  already 
seen,  inasmuch  as  it  contained  an  inner  chamber  or  tent,  made 
of  fine  yellow  grass,  and  serving  as  a  canopy  to  the  family  an- 
gareb.  The  people  had  kindled  a  fire  on  the  ground,  and  the 
dry  mimosa  branches  were  blazing  in  close  proximity  to  the 
straw  walls  of  their  dwelling.  They  were  greatly  inferior  to  the 
Hassaniyehs  of  the  first  village,  both  in  appearance  and  cour- 
tesy of  manners.  The  mareesa,  which  the  rais  at  last  brought, 
was  weak,  insipid  stuff,  and  I  returned  to  the  boat,  leaving  the 
men  to  drain  the  jars. 

In  the  morning  we  reached  another  large  Hassaniyeh  vil- 
lage; which  was  also  called  Wad  Shellayeh.  It  was  the  only 
village  on  the  river  worthy  of  notice,  as  it  had  four  vessels 
moored  to  the  shore,  and  boasted  a  few  mud  houses  in  addition 
to  its  array  of  tokuls.  Several  of  the  latter  wrere  built  in  tent 
form  and  covered  with  a  striped  cloth  made  of  camel's  hair.  I 
entered  the  residence  of  the  shekh,  who,  however,  was  absent 
with  his  wife  to  attend  the  funeral  of  a  relative.  The  tent 
was  thirty  feet  long,  with  an  arched  top,  and  contained  two 
inner  chambers.  The  sides  were  ornamented  with  gourds, 
skins  and  other  articles,  grouped  with  some  taste,  and  large 
quantities  of  the  cowries,  or  small  white  shells,  which  are  used 
as  currency  in  some  parts  of  Central  Africa,  were  sewed  upon 
the  cloth  cover,  in  the  form  of  crosses  and  stars.  I  looked 
into  the  principal  chamber,  which  inclosed  a  broad  and  hand- 
some angareb,  made  of  plaited  palm-leaves.  The  walls  were 
entirely  concealed  by  the  articles  hung  upon  them,  and  every 
thing  exhibited  a  taste  and  neatness  which  is  rare  among  the 


368  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

Arab  tribes.  The  tent  was  in  charge  of  the  shekh's  niece,  a 
handsome  girl  of  about  eighteen,  and  an  old  woman  with  three 
children,  the  youngest  of  which  was  suckled  by  a  black  slave. 
He  was  an  ebony  Cupid  of  a  year  old,  rejoicing  in  the  bunches 
of  white  shells  that  hung  from  his  neck,  wrists  and  ankles. 
He  exhibited  a  curiosity  to  touch  me,  and  I  took  him  in  my 
arms  and  addressed  him  in  Christian  nursery  tongue.  The 
sound  of  my  voice,  however,  was  more  horrible  than  the  color 
of  my  skin.  He  set  up  a  yell  and  kicked  out  his  little  black, 
satin-skinned  legs  till  I  was  obliged  to  hand  him  over  to  the 
slave  nurse. 

From  the  bank  on  which  the  village  is  built,  I  could  see 
beyond  the  trees  of  the  opposite  shore,  a  wide  stretch  of  the 
plains  of  Kordofan — a  level  savanna  of  yellow  grass,  extending 
without  a  break  to  the  horizon.  During  the  afternoon,  while 
the  men  were  resting  from  their  rowing,  Bahr,  the  Dinka  cook, 
got  into  a  dispute  with  one  of  them,  and  finally  worked  herself 
into  such  a  rage  that  she  jumped  overboard  with  the  intention 
of  drowning  herself,  and  would  have  done  so,  had  not  one  of 
the  sailors  plunged  after  her  and  hauled  her  ashore,  in  spite  of 
her  violent  struggles  and  endeavors  to  thrust  her  head  under 
water.  When  she  found  she  could  not  indulge  in  this  recrea- 
tion, she  sat  down  on  the  ground,  burst  into  a  paroxysm  of 
angry  tears,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  went  back  to  grind 
her  dourra,  in  the  best  possible  humor.  Her  name,  Bahr,  sig- 
nifies "  the  sea,"  but  she  was  an  Undine  of  the  Black  Sea.  and 
the  White  Nile  refused  to  receive  her. 

We  went  gloriously  down  stream  that  evening,  with  a  light 
west  wind  filling  the  little  sail  and  the  men  at  their  oars,  sing, 
ing  shrill  choruses  in  the  Dongolese  and  Djaaleyn    dialects. 


BANKS    OF    THE    WHITE    NILE,  369 

The  White  Nile,  which  is  here  three  miles  broad,  was  as 
smooth  as  glass,  and  glimmered  far  and  bright  under  the  moon. 
The  shores  were  still,  in  all  their  dead  level  expanse,  and  had 
it  not  been  for  the  uneven  line  which  their  belts  of  thorn-trees 
drew  along  the  horizon,  I  could  have  imagined  that  we  were 
floating  in  mid-ocean.  While  the  men  halted  for  breakfast  the 
next  morning,  I  landed  and  walked  ahead,  hoping  to  shoot  a 
wild  duck  with  my  pistol.  Notwithstanding  there  were  hun- 
dreds along  the  shore,  I  found  it  impossible  to  get  within 
shooting  distance,  as  they  invariably  made  into  the  river  on 
my  approach.  An  attempt  to  gain  something  by  running  sud- 
denly towards  them,  terminated  in  my  sticking  fast  in  the 
mud  and  losing  my  red  slippers.  I  then  crept  throno-h  the 
scattering  wood  of  mimosas  to  get  a  chance  at  a  pigeon,  but 
some  spirit  of  mistrust  had  taken  possession  of  the  birds,  and 
as  long  as  I  had  a  shot  left  there  were  none  within  reach. 
When  my  two  barrels  were  spent  they  sat  on  every  side  in  the 
most  familiar  proximity. 

Notwithstanding  there  were  very  few  villages  on -the  river's 
bank,  the  country  was  thickly  inhabited.  The  people  prefer 
building  their  dwellings  a  mile  inland,  and  going  to  the  river 
for  water.  This  custom  probably  originated  in  their  fear  of  the 
Shillooks,  which  led  them  to  place  their  dwellings  in  situations 
most  easy  of  defence.  At  one  of  the  fording-places  I  found  a 
number  of  women  and  children  filling  the  water-skins  and  lift- 
ing them  upon  the  backs  of  donkeys.  Many  hundreds  of  the 
hump-backed  cattle,  peculiar  to  the  country,  were  collected 
along  the  shore.  They  have  straight  backs  behind  the  hump, 
(which  is  a  projection  above  the  shoulders,  four  to  six  inches 
high),  clean  flanks,  large,  powerful  necks,  and  short,  straight 
16* 


370  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

horns.  They  eyed  me  with  an  expression  of  great  curiosity, 
and  some  of  the  hulls  evidently  deliberated  whether  they 
should  attack  me.  The  people  in  this  region  were  Hassani- 
yehs,  and  the  men  resembled,  those  of  the  first  village  I  visit- 
ed. They  were  tall,  with  straight  features  and  a  feminine  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  which  was  probably  caused  by  their 
wearing  their  hair  parted  in  the  middle,  plaited  into  long  braids 
and  fastened  at  the  back  of  the  head. 

About  noon  we  came  in  sight  of  Djebel  Tinneh,  which 
stands  over  against  the  village  of  Shekh  Moussa,  and  serves  as 
a  landmark  to  the  place.  At  sunset  we  saw  the  boat  of  Res- 
cind Kashif,  the  Governor  of  the  tributary  territories  of  the 
White  Nile,  anchored  near  the  western  bank.  Two  of  my 
sailors  had  previously  been  employed  by  him,  and  as  they  had 
not  received  all  their  wages,  they  asked  permission  to  cross  the 
river  and  apply  for  the  money.  This  Rescind  Kashif  was  a 
boy  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age,  son  of  the  former  Gov- 
ernor, Suleyman  Kashif,  who  was  so  much  esteemed  by  the 
tribes  on  the  river  that  after  his  death  the  Pasha  invested  his 
young  child  with  the  office.  The  latter  was  also  quite  popular 
with  the  natives,  who  attributed  to  him  a  sagacity  marvellous 
for  his  years.  He  paid  the  men  the  money  due  them,  sent  his 
compliments  to  me,  and  inquired  why  I  did  not  visit  him.  It 
was  dusk  by  this  time,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  delay  the  boat ; 
besides,  as  I  was  a  stranger  and  a  Sultan,  courtesy  required 
that  he  should  pay  the  first  visit. 

We  made  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  without  further  in- 
cident than  that  of  slaughtering  one  of  our  sheep,  near  Djebel 
Aullee.  The  wind  was  so  light  that  our  progress  down  the 
stream  was  rapid,  and  at  sunset  on  Friday,  January  thirtieth, 


KHARTOUM    AT    MIDNIGHT.  371 

I  recognized  the  spot  where  Dr.  Reitz  took  leave  of  me,  on  the 
upward  voyage.  The  evening  on  the  broad  river  was  glorious ; 
the  half-moon,  being  just  overhead,  was  unseen,  yet  filled  the 
air  with  light,  and  my  natal  planet  burned  white  and  clear  in 
the  west.  At  ten  o'clock  we  reached  the  island  of  Omdurman, 
and  wheeled  into  the  Blue  Nile.  The  camp-fires  of  Kordofan 
merchants  were  gleaming  on  the  western  bank.  The  barking 
of  the  dogs  in  Khartoum  and  the  creaking  wheels  of  the  sakias 
were  welcome  sounds  to  our  ears,  as  we  slowly  glided  past  the 
gardens.  Ere  long,  the  minaret  of  the  city  glimmered  faintly 
in  the  moonlight  and  we  recognized  the  buildings  of  the  Catho- 
lic Mission.  "  God  is  great ! "  said  Achmet,  devoutly  ; 
"  since  we  have  been  so  near  the  end  of  the  world,  Khartoum 
appears  to  me  as  beautiful  as  Cairo."  It  was  nearly  midnight 
when  we  came  to  anchor,  having  made  a  voyage  of  about  five 
hundred  miles  in  nine  days.  My  friends  were  all  abed,  and  I 
lay  down  for  the  night  in  the  little  cabin  of  my  boat,  exclaim- 
ing, like  Achmet :  "  God  is  great  1 " 


372  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


CHAPTEE    XXIX. 

INCIDENTS      OF     LIFE      IN     KHARTOUM. 

The  Departure  of  Abd-el  Kader  Bey— An  Illuminated  Picture— The  Breakfast  on  the 
lBland — Horsemanship— The  Pasha's  Stories — Departure  of  Lattif  Effendi"s  Expedi- 
tion— A  Night  on  the  Sand— Abou-Sin,  and  his  Shukoree  Warriors— Change  in  the 
Climate — Intense  Heat  and  its  Effects — Preparations  for  Returning— A  Money 
Transaction — Farewell  Visits — A  Dinner  with  Royal  Guests — Jolly  King  Dyaab — 
A  Shillook  Dance — Reconciliation— Taking  Leave  of  my  rets. 

I  arose  at  sunrise,  and  leaving  Achmet  to  have  my  baggage 
removed,  walked  through  the  town  to  my  head-quarters  at  the 
Consular  residence.  I  found  Dr.  Reitz's  horses  saddled  in 
the  court,  and  himself  walking  in  the  garden.  He  was  greatly 
surprised  to  see  me,  not  having  expected  me  for  another  week. 
After  the  first  greetings  were  over,  he  informed  me  that  Abd- 
el  Kader  Bey,  the  Governor  of  Kordofan,  was  about  leaving 
for  Obeid,  and  his  friends  intended  to  accompany  him  as  far 
as  the  island  of  Moussa  Bey,  in  the  White  Nile.  During  my 
absence,  Mohammed  Kheyr  had  presented  Dr.  Reitz  with  a 
fine  Dongolese  horse,  which  he  offered  to  me,  that  I  might  par- 
ticipate in  the  festivities.  "While  I  was  at  the  Catholic  Mis- 
sion, relating  my  adventures  to  Dr.  Knoblecher,  a  messenger 
came  to  announce  that  Abd-el  Kader's  boat  had  left,  and  that 


AN    ILLUMINATED    PICTURE.  37u 

he;  with  the  other  chiefs  of  Khartoum,  were  ready  to  set  out  on 
horseback  for  the  White  Nile.  We  rode  at  once  to  the  house 
of  Moussa  Bey,  who  had  quite  recovered  from  his  illness, 
The  company  was  already  mounted  in  the  square  before  the 
house,  and  only  awaited  our  arrival.  We  dashed  through  the 
lanes  of  the  slave  quarter,  raising  such  a  cloud  of  dust  that 
little  except  red  caps  and  horses'  tails  was  visible,  until  we 
came  out  upon  the  open  plain,  where  our  cavalcade  made  a 
showy  and  picturesque  appearance. 

The  company  consisted  of  Abd-el  Kader  Bey,  Moussa  Bey, 
Musakar  Bey,  Ali  Bey  Khasib,  Abou-Sin  and  Owd-el  Kerim, 
the  Shukorce  chiefs,  Ali  Effendi,  Mohammed  Kheyr,  Dr.  Reitz, 
Dr.  Peney  and  myself,  besides  a  number  of  inferior  officers 
and  at  least  fifty  attendants  :  in  short,  everybody  of  conse- 
quence in  Khartoum  except  the  Pasha,  who  was  represented 
by  one  of  his  Secretaries.  The  Beys  were  mounted  on  fine 
Arabian  stallions,  Dr.  Peney  on  a  tall  dromedary,  and  the 
Arab  chiefs  on  mules  and  donkeys,  while  the  grooms  and  pipe- 
bearers  ran  behind  on  foot.  I  shall  long  remember  the  bril- 
liant picture  of  that  morning.  The  sky  was  clear  and  hot,  and 
the  palms  rustled  their  shining  leaves  in  a  light  wind.  The 
fields  of  beans  lay  spread  out  between  us  and  the  river,  their 
purple  blossoms  rolling  in  long  drifts  and  flakes  of  color,  and 
warm,  voluptuous  perfume.  The  red  caps,  the  green  and  scar- 
let housings  of  the  horses,  the  rich  blue,  brown,  purple  and 
violet  dresses  of  the  Beys,  and  the  snowy  robes  of  the  Arabs, 
with  their  crimson  borders  thrown  over  the  shoulder,  projected 
against  the  tawny  hue  of  the  distant  plains,  and  the  warm  blue 
of  the  sky,  formed  a  feast  of  color  which,  in  its  entire  richness 
and  harmony,  so  charmed  my  eye  that  the  sight  of  it  became  a 


3*74  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

luxury  to  the  sense,  as  palpable  as  that  of  an  exquisite  flavor 
to  the  palate.  Away  we  went  at  full  gallop,  the  glittering 
array  of  colors  dancing  and  interchanging  to  the  rapid  music, 
as  our  horses'  hoofs  tore  the  bean-vines  and  flung  their  trailing 
blossoms  into  the  air,  until  we  reached  the  bank  of  the  White 
Nile,  where  the  Bey's  vessel  was  just  coming  to  land.  Here 
the  Arab  shekhs  and  the  greater  part  of  the  inferior  officers 
embraced  Abd-el  Kader  and  returned  to  Khartoum. 

The  rest  of  us  crossed  to  the  island  of  Moussa  Bey  and 
walked  over  the  thick  green  turf  to  a  large  mimosa  tree,  of 
the  variety  called  'arcuz,  where  the  carpets  were  spread  on  the 
ground  for  us  and  the  slaves  were  ready  with  our  pipes.  We 
lay  there  two  or  three  hours,  in  the  pleasant  shade,  talking, 
smoking,  and  lazily  watching  the  motions  of  the  attendants, 
who  were  scattered  all  over  the  island.  An  Albanian  in  a 
scarlet  dress  shot  a  wild  goose,  and  Dr.  Reitz  tried  to  bring  down 
an  ibis,  but  failed.  Finally  the  sliowrmeli — an  entire  sheep, 
stuffed  with  rice — appeared,  garnished  with  bread,  onions, 
radishes  and  grapes.  We  bared  our  right  arms  and  buried  our 
hands  in  the  smoking  flesh  with  such  good  will,  that  in  half  an 
hour  the  dish  contained  nothing  but  a  beautiful  skeleton. 
Abd-el  Kader  Bey  honored  me  by  tearing  off  a  few  choice  mor« 
sels  with  his  own  fingers  and  presenting  them  to  me.  A  bowl 
of  rice  cooked  in  milk  and  sweetened,  completed  the  repast. 
At  noon  we  went  on  board  the  sandal,  and  after  being  ship- 
ped to  the  other  side,  took  leave  of  Abd-el  Kader  with  an  em- 
brace and  "  God  grant  you  a  prosperous  journey !  " — to  which 
he  replied  :  "  God  grant  it !  "  He  sailed  off,  up  the  White 
jN'ile,  for  Tura,  with  a  fine  breeze,  and  we  turned  homewards. 
The  wind  which  blew  across  the  plain  in  our  faces,  was  as  hot 


375 


and  dry  as  the  Mast  of  a  furnace,  and  my  head  reeled  under 
the  terrible  intensity  of  1he  sunshine.  The  Beys  took  every 
opportunity  of  displaying  their  horsemanship,  dashing  over  the 
bean-fields  in  wild  zigzags,  reining  up  in  mid-career,  throw- 
ing their  crooked  canes  into  the  air  after  the  manner  of  a 
jereed,  and  describing  circles  and  ellipses  at  full  gallop.  The 
finest  of  all  was  my  handsome  Albanian  friend,  Musakar  Bey. 
I  called  upon  the  Pasha  the  same  afternoon,  to  give  him 
an  account  of  my  voyage  up  the  White  Nile,  and  was  obliged 
to  remain  and  dine  with  him.  He  was  very  much  interested 
in  my  adventures  with  the  Shillooks,  but  gave  me  to  under- 
stand that  the  negroes  had  great  fear  of  his  power,  and  that  if 
they  had  not  known  I  was  under  his  protection  they  would  cer- 
tainly have  killed  me.  When  I  spoke  of  the  giant  stature  of 
the  Shillooks  he  confirmed  what  I  had  already  heard,  that  the 
Kyks  and  Baris  are  full  seven  feet  in  height.  He  also  stated 
that  his  predecessor,  Achmet  Pasha  Menekleh,  had  captured 
in  the  regions  beyond  Fazogl  thirty  blacks,  who  were  nine  feet 
high  and  terrible  to  behold.  They  were  brought  to  Khartoum 
in  chains,  he  said,  but  refused  to  eat,  howled  like  wild  beasts, 
and  died  in  paroxysms  of  savage  fury.  When  I  remembered 
that  the  Pasha  had  already  told  me  that  there  was  a  subterra- 
neous passage  from  Alexandria  to  the  Fyoom  (a  distance  of 
two  hundred  miles),  made  by  Alexander  the  Great,  and  that 
the  Sultan  at  Constantinople  had  an  ape  which  grew  to  be 
twenty  feet  in  height,  I  received  this  last  communication  with 
a  grain  of  allowance.  He  fully  believed  in  the  existence  of 
the  N'yam-N'yams  (a  horribly  suggestive  name),  or  canni- 
bals, who  I  have  no  doubt,  are  a  fabulous  race.  Dr.  Barth 
heard  of  them  in  Adamowa,  south  of  Lake  Tsad,  and    Dr. 


376  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Knoblecher  in  the  Bari  country,  but  no  one  lias  ever  yet  seen 
them. 

The  expedition  of  Lattif  Effencli  had  met  with  many  de- 
lays, but  on  Monday,  the  second  of  February,  every  thing  was 
ready  for  its  departure.  It  consisted  of  two  large  nelckers  or 
trading-vessels,  each  armed  with  a  cannon,  and  carrying  six 
soldiers  in  addition  to  the  crew.  It  was  also  provided  with 
interpreters,  who  spoke  the  languages  of  the  different  tribes. 
Fat  Abou-Balta,  who  was  the  owner  of  one  of  the  vessels,  Dr. 
Peney,  Dr.  Reitz  and  myself,  made  up  a  party  to  accompany 
Lattif  Effendi  the  first  stage  of  his  voyage.  We  took  the  same 
little  sandal  in  which  I  had  sailed,  and  pushed  away  from 
Khartoum  at  sunset,  followed  by  the  nekkers.  The  relatives 
of  the  sailors  were  crowded  on  the  bank  to  bid  them  good-bye, 
and  as  the  vessels  weighed  anchor,  the  women  set  up  the  shrill 
"  lu-lu-lu-lu-lu"  which  they  use  to  express  all  emotions,  from 
rapture  down  to  despair.  We  had  a  light,  but  favoring  wind, 
and  at  nine  o'clock  reached  a  long,  sandy  beach  about  five 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  White  Nile,  where  we  came  to  a 
halt.  The  vessels  were  moored  to  the  shore,  fires  kindled, 
pipes  lighted  and  coffee  made,  and  we  gathered  into  groups  on 
the  sand,  in  the  light  of  the  full  moon.  At  midnight  the  cus- 
tomary sheep  made  its  appearance,  accompanied  by  two  bottles 
of  claret,  whereat  Abou-Balta  affected  to  be  scandalized,  so 
long  as  any  Moslem  attendants  were  in  the  neighborhood. 
When  the  coast  was  clear,  he  sprawled  out  like  another  Fal- 
staff,  his  jolly  face  beaming  in  the  moonlight,  and  took  a  sly 
taste  of  the  forbidden  beverage,  which  he  liked  so  well  that  he 
no  longer  resented  the  wicked  nickname  of  u  gamoos  el-hahr" 
(hippopotamus),  which  we  bestowed  upon  him.     We  tried  to 


ABOU-SIX,    THE    SHUKOREE    CHIEF.  377 

sleep  a  little,  but  although  the  sand  was  soft,  the  night  air  was 
chilly,  and  I  believe  nobody  succeeded  but  Abou-Balta,  whose 
enormous  belly  shook  with  the  force  of  his  snoring,  as  he  lay 
stretched  out  on  his  back.  By  three  in  the  morning  every- 
body was  tired ;  the  fires  had  burned  out,  the  meats  of  the 
banquet  had  grown  cold,  and  the  wind  blew  more  freshly  from 
the  north.  Lattif  Effendi  called  his  sailors  on  board  and  we 
took  leave  of  him.  The  two  nekkers  spread  their  huge  wings 
and  sailed  off  in  the  moonlight  for  the  land  of  the  Baris,  while 
we  made  our  slow  way  back  to  Khartoum,  where  we  arrived 
at  daybreak. 

During  my  absence  there  had  been  three  distinguished  ar- 
rivals— Abou-Sin,  the  great  shekh  of  the  Shukorees  (the  father 
of  Owd-el  Kerim),  Melek  Dyaab,  the  king  of  Dar  El-Mahass, 
and  Ali,  shekh  of  the  Ababdehs — all  of  whom  had  been  sum- 
moned by  the  Pasha,  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  with  them 
on  the  condition  of  their  territories.  Abou-Sin  was  one  of  the 
stateliest  and  most  dignified  personages  I  had  ever  seen.  He 
was  about  seventy -five  years  of  age,  six  feet  six  inches  in 
height,  straight  as  a  lance,  with  a  keen,  fiery  eye,  and  a  gray 
beard  which  flowed  to  his  waist.  Dr.  Peney,  who  had  visited 
the  old  shekh  in  Takka,  informed  me  that  he  could  brins  into 
the  field  four  thousand  warriors,  each  mounted  on  his  own 
dromedary.  The  Shukorees  wear  shirts  of  chain-mail  and 
helmets  with  chain-pieces  falling  on  each  side  of  the  face,  like 
their  Saracen  ancestors.  Their  weapons  are  still  the  sabre  and 
lance,  with  which  they  have  maintained  their  independence 
against  all  enemies,  except  the  cannon  of  Mohammed  Ali. 
Dr.  Beitz  took  me  to  visit  the  Shekh,  who  was  living  in  an 
humble  mud  building,  not  far  from  the  Pasha's  palace.     We 


378  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

found  him  giving  audience  to  a  number  of  inferior  shekhs,  who 
were  seated  upon  the  earthen  floor,  below  his  divan.  His  son, 
Owd-el  Keriin,  was  among  them.  The  Consul  took  his  seat 
at  the  shekh's  side,  and  I  did  the  same,  but,  although  nothing 
was  said,  I  saw  that  those  present  mentally  resented  our  pre- 
sumption, and  felt  that  I  had  been  guilty  of  a  breach  of  deco- 
rum. The  object  of  our  visit  was  to  invite  the  shekh  to  dine 
with  us.  and  he  graciously  complied.  Owd-el  Kerim  was  in- 
cluded in  the  invitation,  but  he  excused  himself  on  the  ground 
that  he  did  not  dare  to  eat  at  the  same  table  with  his  father, 
I  was  delighted  with  this  trait,  which  recalled  the  patriarchal 
days  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  justified  the  claim  of  the 
Arabs  to  the  blood  of  Abraham. 

After  my  return  the  weather  had  suddenly  changed,  and 
every  thing  denoted  the  approach  of  the  hot  and  sickly  season. 
The  thermometer  stood  at  105°  in  the  shade,  at  noon,  and 
there  was  an  intensely  hot  wind  from  the  south.  On  account 
of  the  languor  and  depression  consequent  upon  such  a  heat,  it 
required  an  extraordinary  effort  to  make  the  necessary  entries 
in  my  journal.  I  barely  succeeded  in  moving  about  sufficient- 
ly to  shake  off  the  feverish  humors  which  in  that  climate  so 
rapidly  collect  in  the  system.  I  always  placed  a  cool  earthen 
jug  of  water  at  my  bedside,  and  when  I  awoke  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  with  a  heavy  head  and  parched  throat,  would  take 
a  full  draught,  which  immediately  threw  me  into  a  profuse 
sweat,  after  which  I  slept  soundly  and  healthily  until  morning. 
He  who  lives  in  Khartoum  in  the  hot  season  must  either  sweat 
or  die.  M.  Drovetti,  of  Alexandria  (son  of  the  French  Consul 
Drovetti,  with  whom  Belzoni  nad  so  many  quarrels),  arrived 
about  this  time  and  was  immediately  prostrated  with  fever. 


CAMELS    AND    BILLS    OF    EXCHANGE.  379 

Many  of  the  Franks  and  Egyptians  were  also  affected,  and 
Achmet,  who  felt  plethoric  symptoms,  must  needs  go  to  a  bar- 
ber and  be  bled  in  the  head.  He  besought  me  to  return  to 
Egypt,  and  as  I  had  already  accomplished  much  more  than  1 
anticipated,  I  began  at  once  to  prepare  for  the  homeward 
journey. 

The  route  which  I  fixed  upon  was  that  across  the  Be- 
yooda  Desert  to  Napata,  the  ancient  capital  of  Ethiopia, 
thence  to  Dongola,  and  through  the  Nubian  kingdoms  to  the 
Second  Cataract  of  the  Nile,  at  Wadi  Haifa.  The  first  part 
of  the  journey,  through  the  countries  of  the  Kababish  and  the 
Howoweet,  was  considered  rather  dangerous,  and  as  a  precau- 
tionary measure  I  engaged  three  of  the  former  tribe,  as  guide 
and  camel-drivers.  I  purchased  two  large  Shukoree  dromeda- 
ries for  myself  and  Achmet,  at  three  hundred  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty  piastres  respectively,  and  hired  three  others  from  the 
Kababish,  at  fifty  piastres  for  the  journey  to  Eddabe,  on  the 
Dongolese  frontier,  by  way  of  Napata.  The  contract  was  for- 
mally made  in  the  presence  of  the  shekh  of  Khartoum  and  Dr. 
Reitz,  both  of  whom  threatened  the  Arabs  with  destruction  in 
case  they  should  not  convey  me  safely  through  the  Desert. 
The  Consul  also  did  me  good  service  in  the  negotiation  of  my 
draft  on  Fathalla  Musallee,  a  Coptic  merchant,  who  demanded 
twenty  per  cent,  for  the  exchange.  This,  as  my  funds  were 
getting  low,  would  have  been  a  serious  loss,  but  by  some  arith- 
metical legerdemain,  which  I  could  not  understand,  the  Consul 
so  bewildered  poor  Fathalla's  brain,  that  he  was  finally  made 
to  believe  that  a  discount  of  five  per  cent,  would  somehow  pro- 
fit him  more  in  the  end  than  one  of  twenty  per  cent.  Fathalla 
paid  the  money  with  a  melancholy  confusion  of  ideas,  and  I 


380  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

doubt  whether  he  has  to  this  day  discovered  in  what  way  he 
increased  his  profits  by  the  operation. 

My  provision-chests  were  replenished  with  coffee,  sugar, 
rice,  dates  and  mishmish  (dried  apricots),  from  the  bazaar, 
and  Achmet  worked  so  cheerily  with  the  prospect  of  leaving 
Soudan,  that  every  thing  was  in  readiness  at  a  day's  notice. 
Rather  than  wait  until  the  following  Monday,  for  luck's  sake, 
I  fixed  upon  Thursday,  the  fifth  of  February,  for  our  depar- 
ture. Many  of  the  subordinate  Egyptian  officers  prepared  let- 
ters to  their  families,  which  they  intrusted  to  Achmet's  care, 
and  poor  old  Rufaa  Bey,  more  than  ever  disgusted  with  his 
exile,  charged  me  with  a  letter  to  his  wife  and  another  to  Mr. 
Murray,  through  whose  aid  he  hoped  to  get  permission  to  re- 
turn to  Egypt.  I  paid  a  farewell  visit  to  the  Pasha,  who  re- 
ceived me  with  great  courtesy,  informing  me  (what  I  already 
knew),  that  he  was  about  to  be  superseded  by  Rustum  Pasha, 
who,  he  predicted,  would  not  find  the  government  of  Soudan 
an  easy  one. 

I  was  sorry  to  part  with  Vicar  Knoblecher  and  his  breth- 
ren, Those  self-sacrificing  men  have  willingly  devoted  them- 
selves to  a  life — if  life  it  can  be  called,  which  is  little  better 
than  death — in  the  remote  heart  of  Africa,  for  the  sake  of  in- 
troducing a  purer  religion  among  its  pagan  inhabitants,  and  I 
trust  they  will  be  spared  to  see  their  benevolent  plans  realized. 
They  are  men  of  the  purest  character  and  animated  by  the  best 
desires.  Aboona  Suleyman,  as  Dr.  Knoblecher  is  called,  is 
already  widely  known  and  esteemed  throughout  Soudan,  and 
although  he  can  do  but  little  at  present  in  the  way  of  religious 
teaching,  he  has  instituted  a  school  for  the  children  of  the 
Copts,  which  may  in  time  reform  the  (so-called)  Christian  so- 


ROYAL    GUESTS.  381 

ciety  of  Khartoum.  If  he  should  succeed  in  establishing  a 
mission  in  the  country  of  the  Baris,  the  result  will  be  not  less 
important  to  Science  than  to  Christianity,  and  the  experiment 
is  one  which  should  interest  the  world. 

On  the  evening  before  my  departure  the  shekhs  Abou-Sin, 
Ali,  the  Ababdeh,  and  Melek  Dyaab  came  to  dine  with  Dr. 
Reitz.  Abou-Sin  was  grave  and  stately  as  ever,  and  I  never 
looked  at  him  without  thinking  of  his  four  thousand  mailed 
warriors  on  their  dromedaries,  sweeping  over  the  plains  of 
Takka.  Shekh  Ali  was  of  medium  size,  with  a  kind,  amiable 
face,  and  a  touch  of  native  refinement  in  his  manner.  King 
Dyaab,  however,  who  wore  a  capacious  white  turban  and  a 
robe  of  dark-blue  cloth,  was  the  "  merry  monarch"  of  Central 
Africa.  His  large  eyes  twinkled  with  good  humor  and  his 
round  face  beamed  with  the  radiance  of  a  satisfied  spirit.  He 
brought  a  black  Dongolese  horse  as  a  present  for  Dr.  Reitz, 
and  requested  me  to  put  him  through  his  paces,  on  the  plain 
before  the  house,  as  it  would  have  been  contrary  to  African 
etiquette  for  the  Doctor  himself  to  test  the  character  of  the 
gift.  I  complied,  but  the  saddle  was  adapted  only  for  the 
short  legs  of  the  fat  king,  and  after  running  a  circular  course 
with  my  knees  drawn  up  nearly  to  my  chin,  the  resemblance 
of  the  scene  to  the  monkey-riding  of  the  circus  struck  me  so 
forcibly,  that  I  jumped  off  and  refused  to  mount  again,  greatly 
to  the  monarch's  disappointment. 

Shekhs  Abou-Sin  and  Ali  took  their  departure  shortly 
after  the  disposal  of  the  roast  sheep  and  salad  which  constitut- 
ed the  dinner,  but  King  Dyaab  and  Dr.  Peney  remained  until 
a  late  hour,  smoking  a  parting  pipe  with  me,  and  partaking  of 
a  mixture  of  claret,   lemons,  pomegranate  juice   and    spices, 


382  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

which  the  Consul  compounded  into  a  sherbet  of  the  most  deli- 
cious flavor.  King  Dyaab  drank  my  health  with  a  profusion 
of  good  wishes,  begging  me  to  remain  another  week  and  ac- 
company his  caravan.  His  palace  in  Dar  El-Mahass,  he  said, 
was  entirely  at  my  disposal  and  I  must  remain  several  weeks 
with  him.  But  there  is  nothing  so  unpleasant  to  me  as  to 
postpone  a  journey  after  all  the  preparations  are  made,  and  I 
was  reluctantly  obliged  to  decline  his  invitation.  I  take  plea- 
sure, however,  in  testifying  to  the  King's  good  qualities,  which 
fully  entitle  him  to  the  throne  of  Dar  El  Mahass,  and  were  I 
installed  in  his  capital  of  Kuke,  as  court-poet,  I  should  cer- 
tainly write  a  national  ballad  for  the  Mahassees,  commencing 
in  this  wise  : 

"  El  Melek  Dyaab  is  a  jolly  old  King, 
And  a  jolly  old  King  is  he,"  etc. 

After  the  Melek  had  bestowed  a  parting  embrace  by  throw- 
ing his  arms  around  my  waist  and  dropping  his  round  head  on 
my  shoulder  like  a  sixty-eight  pound  shot,  he  was  sent  home 
in  state  on  the  back  of  Sultan,  the  Dar-Fur  stallion.  The 
moonlight  was  so  beautiful  that  the  Consul  and  I  accompanied 
Dr.  Peney  to  his  residence.  The  latter  suggested  another 
pipe  in  the  open  air  of  his  court-yard,  and  awoke  his  Shillook 
slaves,  who  were  lying  asleep  near  the  house,  to  perform  a 
dance  for  our  amusement.  There  were  three — two  males  and 
a  female — and  their  midnight  dance  was  the  most  uncouth  and 
barbaric  thing  I  saw  in  Khartoum.  They  brandished  their 
clubs,  leaped  into  the  air,  alighting  sometimes  on  one  foot  and 
sometimes  on  both,  and  accompanied  their  motions  with  a 
series  of  short,  quick  howls,  not  unlike  the  laughter  of  a  hye- 


TAKING    LEAVE    OF    MY    PETS.  383 

na.  After  the  dance,  Dr.  Reitz  effected  a  reconciliation  be- 
tween one  of  the  men  and  the  woman,  who  had  been  married, 
but  were  about  to  separate.  They  knelt  before  him,  side  by 
side,  and  recounted  their  complaints  of  each  other,  which  were 
sufficiently  ludicrous,  but  a  present  of  three  piastres  (fifteen 
cents !),  purchased  forgetfulness  of  the  past  and  renewed  vows 
for  the  future. 

I  felt  a  shadow  of  regret  when  I  reflected  that  it  was  my 
last  night  in  Khartoum.  After  we  walked  home  I  roused  the 
old  lioness  in  her  corner,  gave  her  a  farewell  hug  and  sat  down 
on  her  passive  back  until  she  stretched  out  her  paws  and  went 
to  sleep  again.  I  then  visited  the  leopard  in  the  garden,  made 
him  jump  upon  my  shoulders  and  play  his  antics  over  once 
more.  The  hyenas  danced  and  laughed  fiendishly,  as  usual 
when  they  saw  me,  but  the  tall  Kordofan  antelope  came  up 
softly  and  rubbed  his  nose  against  my  leg,  asking  for  the 
dourra  which  I  was  accustomed  to  give  him.  I  gave  him, 
and  the  gazelles,  and  the  leopard,  each  an  affectionate  kiss,  but 
poked  the  surly  hyenas  until  they  howled,  on  my  way  to  bed. 


384  JOURNEY    TO    CEXTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER     XXX. 

THE      COMMERCE       OF      SOUDAN. 

The  Commerce  of  Soudan — Avenues  of  Trade — The  Merchants — Character  of  the  Im- 
ports—Speculation— The  Gum  Trade  of  Kordofan— The  Ivory  Trade — Abuses  of  the 
Government — The  Traffic  in  Slaves — Prices  of  Slaves — Their  Treatment 

Before  taking  a  final  leave  of  Soudan,  it  may  be  well  to  say 
a  few  words  concerning  the  trade  of  the  country.  As  the  Nile 
is  the  principal  avenue  of  communication  between  the  Medi- 
terranean and  the  eastern  half  of  Central  Africa,  Soudan  19 
thus  made  a  centre  of  commerce,  the  character  of  which  may 
be  taken  as  an  index  to  all  the  interior  traffic  of  the  continent. 
European  goods  reach  Soudan  through  two  principal  chan- 
nels ;  by  the  port  of  Sowakin,  on  the  Red  Sea,  and  the  cara- 
van route  up  the  Nile  and  across  the  Great  Nubian  Desert. 
Of  late  years  the  latter  has  become  the  principal  thoroughfare, 
as  winter  is  the  commercial  season,  and  the  storms  on  the  Red 
Sea  are  very  destructive  to  the  small  Arab  craft.  The  mer- 
chants leave  Cairo  through  the  autumn,  principally  between 
the  first  of  October  and  the  first  of  December,  as  they  travel 
slowly  and  rarely  make  the  journey  in  less  than  two  months 
and  a  half.     The  great  proportion  of  them  take  the  same  route 


THE  MERCHANTS  OF  SOUDAN.  385 

L  followed,  from  Korosko  to  Berber,  where  they  ship  again  for 
Khartoum  Those  who  buy  their  own  camels  at  Assouan, 
make  the  whole  trip  by  land ;  but  it  is  more  usual  for  them  to 
buy  camels  in  Soudan  for  the  return  journey,  as  they  can  sell 
them  in  Upper  Egypt  at  advanced  prices.  In  fact,  the  trade 
in  camels  alone  is  not  inconsiderable.  On  my  way  to  Khar- 
toum I  met  many  thousands,  in  droves  of  from  one  to  five 
hundred,  on  their  way  to  Egypt. 

The  merchants  who  make  this  yearly  trip  to  Soudan  are 
mostly  Egyptians  and  Nubians.  There  are  a  number  of  Syr- 
ians established  in  the  country,  but  they  are  for  the  most  part 
connected  with  houses  in  Cairo,  and  their  caravans  between 
the  two  places  are  in  charge  of  agents,  natives,  whose  charac- 
ter has  been  proved  by  long  service.  There  were  also  three  or 
four  French  and  Italian  merchants,  and  one  Englishman  (Mr. 
Peterick,  in  Kordofan),  who  carried  on  their  business  in  the 
same  manner.  It  is  no  unusual  thing  for  Nubians  who  have 
amassed  two  or  three  thousand  piastres  by  household  service 
in  Cairo,  to  form  partnerships,  invest  their  money  in  cotton 
goods,  and  after  a  year  or  two  on  the  journey  (for  time  is  any 
thing  but  money  to  them),  return  to  Egypt  with  a  few  hundred 
weight  of  gum  or  half  a  dozen  camels.  They  earn  a  few  pias- 
tres, perhaps,  in  return  for  the  long  toils  and  privations  they 
have  endured  ;  but  their  pride  is  gratified  by  the  title  of  Djel- 
labiat — merchants.  It  is  reckoned  a  good  school,  and  not 
without  reason,  for  young  Egyptians  who  devote  themselves 
to  commerce.  I  met  even  the  sons  of  Beys  among  this  class. 
Those  who  are  prudent,  and  have  a  fair  capital  to  start  upon, 
can  generally  gain  enough  in  two  or  "three  years  to  establish 
themselves  respectably  in  Egypt. 
I? 


330  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRA.L  AFRICA. 

The  goods  brought  into  Central  Africa  consist  principally 
of  English  muslins  and  calicoes,  the  light  red  woollen  stuffs  of 
Barbary,  cutlery,  beads  and  trinkets.  Cloths,  silks,  powder, 
tobacco,  and  arakee,  are  also  brought  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties, while  in  the  large  towns  there  is  always  a  good  sale  for 
sugar,  rice,  coffee  and  spices.  The  Turkish  officials  and  the 
Franks  are  very  fond  of  the  aniseed  cordial  of  Scio,  maraschi 
no,  rosoglio,  and  the  other  Levantine  liquors ;  and  even  the 
heavy,  resinous  wines  of  Smyrna  and  Cyprus  find  their  way 
here.  The  natives  prefer  for  clothing  the  coarse,  unbleached 
cotton  stuffs  of  their  own  manufacture,  one  mantle  of  which  is 
sufficient  for  years.  As  may  readily  be  supposed,  the  market 
is  frequently  glutted  with  goods  of  this  description,  whence 
the  large  houses  often  send  money  from  Cairo  for  the  purchase 
of  gum  and  ivory,  in  preference  to  running  any  risk.  At  the 
time  of  my  visit,  all  sorts  of  muslins  and  calicoes  might  be  had 
in  Khartoum  at  a  very  slight  advance  on  Cairo  prices,  and  the 
merchants  who  were  daily  arriving  with  additional  bales,  com- 
plained that  the  sale  would  not  pay  the  expenses  of  their  jour- 
ney. The  remarkable  success  of  the  caravans  of  the  previout 
year  had  brought  a  crowd  of  adventurers  into  the  lists,  very 
few  of  whom  realized  their  expectations.  It  was  the  Califor- 
nia experience  in  another  form.  No  passion  is  half  so  blind 
as  the  greed  for  gain. 

Khartoum  is  the  great  metropolis  of  all  this  region.  Some 
few  caravans  strike  directly  through  the  Beyooda  Desert,  from 
Dongola  to  Kordofan,  but  the  great  part  come  directly  to  the 
former  place,  where  they  dispose  of  their  goods,  and  then  pro- 
ceed to  Kordofan  for  gum,  or  wait  the  return  of  the  yearly  ex- 
pedition up  the  White  Nile,  to  stock  themselves  with  ivory. 


GUM    AND    IVORY.  337 

On  both  these  articles  there  is  generally  a  good,  sometimes  a 
great,  profit.  The  gum  comes  almost  entirely  from  Kordofan, 
where  the  quantity  annually  gathered  amounts  to  thirty  thou- 
sand contar,  or  cwt.  It  is  collected  by  the  natives  from  that 
variety  of  the  mimosa  called  the  ashaba,  and  sold  by  them  at 
from  fifty-five  to  sixty  piastres  the  contar.  Lattif  Pasha  at  one 
time  issued  a  decree  prohibiting  any  person  from  selling  it  at 
less  than  sixty  piastres,  but  Dr.  Reitz,  by  an  energetic  protest, 
obtained  the  revocation  of  this  arbitrary  edict.  The  cost  of 
carrying  it  to  Cairo  is  very  nearly  fifty  piastres  the  contar, 
exclusive  of  a  government  tax  of  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent. ; 
and  as  the  price  of  gum  in  Cairo  fluctuates  according  to  the 
demand  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
piastres,  the  merchant's  gain  may  be  as  low  as  ten  or  as  high 
as  one  hundred  per  cent.  The  gum  brought  from  Yemen  and 
the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea  is  considered  superior  in  quality 
but  is  not  produced  in  such  abundance. 

The  ivory  is  mostly  obtained  from  the  negro  tribes  on  the 
White  Nile.  Small  quantities  are  occasionally  brought  from 
Dar-Fur  and  the  unknown  regions  towards  Bornou,  by  Arab 
caravans.  The  trading  expeditions  up  the  White  Nile,  until  the 
winter  of  1851—2,  were  entirely  under  the  control  of  the  Pasha 
of  Soudan,  in  spite  of  the  treaty  of  1838,  making  it  free  to 
all  nations.  The  expedition  of  that  winter,  which  sailed  from 
Khartoum  about  two  months  before  my  arrival,  consisted  of 
seven  vessels,  accompanied  by  an  armed  force.  The  parties 
interested  in  it  consisted  of  the  Pasha,  the  Egyptian  mer- 
chants, and  the  rayahs,  or  European  merchants.  The  gains 
were  to  be  divided  into  twenty-four  parts,  eight  of  which  went 
to  the  Pasha,  nine  to  the  Turks  and  seven  to  the  Franks.     Dr. 


388  JOURNEY  TO. CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

Reitz  undertook  to  enforce  the  treaty,  and  actually  ran  two 
vessels  belonging  to  Austrian  proteges  past  the  guard  estab- 
lished at  the  junction  of  the  Niles.  The  Pasha  thereupon  had 
all  the  sailors  belonging  to  these  vessels  arrested,  but  after  two 
days  of  violent  manoeuvres  and  counter-manoeuvres,  allowed 
the  vessels  to  proceed.  The  unjust  monopoly  was  therefore 
virtually  annulled — an  important  fact  to  Europeans  who  may 
wish  to  engage  in  the  trade.  The  vessels  take  with  them 
great  quantities  of  glass  beads,  ear,  arm  and  nose  rings,  and 
the  like,  for  which  the  natives  readily  barter  their  elephants' 
teeth.  These  are  not  found  in  abundance  before  reaching  the 
land  of  the  Nuehrs  and  the  Kyks,  about  lat.  7°,  and  the  best 
specimens  come  from  regions  still  further  south.  They  are 
sold  in  Khartoum  at  the  rate  of  twelve  hundred  piastres  the 
cwt.,  and  in  Cairo  at  twenty-two  hundred,  burdened  with  a  tax 
of  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent. 

The  Government  has  done  its  best  to  cramp  and  injure 
Trade,  the  only  life  of  that  stagnant  land.  In  addition  to  the 
custom-house  at  Assouan,  where  every  thing  going  into  Egypt 
must  pay  duty,  the  Pasha  and  his  satellites  had  established  an 
illegal  custom-house  at  Dongola,  and  obliged  merchants  to  pay 
another  toll,  midway  on  their  journey.  This  was  afterwards 
abolished,  on  account  of  the  remonstrances  which  were  forward- 
ed to  Cairo.  I  found  the  Pasha  so  uniformly  courteous  and 
affable,  that  at  first  I  rejected  many  of  the  stories  told  me  of 
his  oppression  and  cruelty,  but  I  was  afterwards  informed  of 
circumstances  which  exhibited  his  character  in  a  still  more 
hideous  light.  Nevertheless,  I  believe  he  was  inmost  respects 
superior  to  his  predecessors  in  the  office,  and  certainly  to  his 
successor. 


THE    SLAVE    TRADE.  38G 

The  traffic  in  slaves  has  decreased  very  much  of  late. 
The  wealthy  Egyptians  still  purchase  slaves,  and  will  continue 
to  do  so,  till  the  "institution"  is  wholly  abolished,  but  the 
despotic  rule  exercised  by  the  Pasha  in  Nubia  has  had  the 
effect  of  greatly  lessening  the  demand.  Vast  numbers  of  Nu- 
bians go  into  Egypt,  where  they  are  engaged  as  domestic  ser* 
vants,  and  their  paid  labor,  cheap  as  it  is,  is  found  more 
profitable  than  the  unpaid  service  of  negro  slaves.  Besides, 
the  tax  on  the  latter  has  been  greatly  increased,  so  that  mer- 
chants find  the  commodity  less  profitable  than  gum  or  ivory. 
Ten  years  ago,  the  duty  paid  at  Assouan  was  thirty  piastres 
for  a  negro  and  fifty  for  an  Abyssinian  :  at  present  it  is  three 
hundred  and  fifty  for  the  former  and  five  hundred  and  fifty  for 
the  latter,  while  the  tax  can  be  wholly  avoided  by  making  the 
slave  free.  Prices  have  risen  in  consequence,  and  the  traffic  is 
proportionately  diminished.  The  Government  probably  de- 
rives as  large  a  revenue  as  ever  from  it,  on  account  of  the  in- 
creased tax,  so  that  it  has  seemed  to  satisfy  the  demands  of 
some  of  the  European  powers  by  restricting  the  trade,  while  it 
actually  loses  nothing  thereby.  The  Government  slave  hunts 
in  the  interior,  however,  are  no  longer  carried  on.  The  great- 
er part  of  the  slaves  brought  to  Khartoum,  are  purchased  from 
the  Galla  and  Shangalla  tribes  on  the  borders  of  Abyssinia,  or 
from  the  Shillooks  and  Dinkas,  on  the  "White  Nile.  The  cap- 
tives taken  in  the  wars  between  the  various  tribes  are  invari- 
ably sold.  The  Abyssinian  girls,  who  are  in  great  demand 
among  the  Egyptians,  for  wives,  are  frequently  sold  by  their 
own  parents.  They  are  treated  with  great  respect,  and  their 
lot  is  probably  no  worse  than  that  of  any  Arab  or  Turkish 
female.     The  more  beautiful  of  them  often  bring  from  two 


390  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars.  Ordinary  household  servants 
may  be  had  from  one  to  two  thousand  piastres.  My  drago- 
man, Achmet,  purchased  a  small  girl  for  twelve  hundred 
piastres,  as  a  present  for  his  wife.  He  intended  making  her 
free,  which  he  declared  to  be  a  good  thing,  according  to  his 
religion;  but  the  true  reason,  I  suspect,  was  the  tax  at 
Assouan. 

The  Egyptians  rarely  maltreat  their  slaves,  and  instances 
of  cruelty  are  much  less  frequent  among  them  than  among  the 
Europeans  settled  here.  The  latter  became  so  notorious  for 
their  violence  that  the  Government  was  obliged  to  establish  a 
law  forbidding  any  Frank  to  strike  his  slave  ;  but  in  case  of 
disobedience  to  send  him  before  the  Cadi,  or  Judge,  who  could 
decide  on  the  proper  punishment.  Slavery  prevails  through- 
out all  the  native  kingdoms  of  Central  Africa,  in  more  or  less 
aggravated  forms. 

The  Egyptian  merchants  who  are  located  in  Khartoum  as 
agents  for  houses  in  Cairo,  consider  themselves  as  worse  than 
exiles,  and  indemnify  themselves  by  sensual  indulgence  for 
being  obliged  to  remain  in  a  country  which  they  detest. 
They  live  in  large  houses,  keep  their  harems  of  inky  slaves, 
eat,  drink  and  smoke  away  their  languid  and  wearisome  days. 
All  the  material  which  they  need  for  such  a  life  is  so  cheap 
that  their  love  of  gain  does  not  suffer  thereby.  One  of  the 
richest  merchants  in  the  place  gave  me  an  account  of  his 
housekeeping.  He  had  a  large  mud  palace,  a  garden,  and 
twenty  servants  and  slaves,  to  maintain  which  cost  him  eight 
thousand  piastres  (four  hundred  dollars)  a  year.  He  paid  his 
servants  twenty  piastres  a  month,  and  his  slaves  also — at  least 
bo  he  told  me,  but  I  did  not  believe  it. 


THE    NATIVES    OF    SOUDAN.  39  J 

As  for  the  native  Fellahs  of  Soudan,  they  are  so  crushed 
and  imposed  upon,  that  it  is  difficult  to  judge  what  their 
natural  capacities  really  are.  Foreigners,  Frank  as  well  as 
Egyptian,  universally  complain  of  their  stupidity,  and  I  heard 
the  Pasha  himself  say,  that  if  he  could  have  done  any  thing 
with  them  Abbas  Pasha  might  whistle  to  get  Soudan  from  him. 
That  they  are  very  stupid,  is  true,  but  that  they  have  every 
encouragement  to  be  so,  is  equally  true.  Dr.  Knoblecher,  who, 
of  all  the  men  I  saw  in  Khartoum,  was  best  qualified  to  judge 
correctly,  assured  me  that  they  needed  only  a  just  and  pater- 
nal government,  to  make  rapid  progress  in  the  arts  of  civiliza- 
tion. 


392  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER     XXXI. 

FROM       KHARTOUM     TO       EL       METE  M MA. 

Farewell  Breakfast — Departure  from  Khartoum — Parting  with  Dr.  Reitz — A  Predic- 
tion and  its  Fulfilment— Dreary  Appearance  of  the  Country— Lions— Burying- 
Grounds — The  Natives — My  Kababish  Guide,  Mohammed — Character  of  the  Arabs 
— Habits  of  Deception — My  Dromedary — Mutton  and  Mareesa — A  Soudan  Ditty — 
The  Rowyan — Akaba  Gerri — Heat  and  Scenery — An  Altercation  with  the  Guide— 
A  Mishap — A  Landscape — Tedious  Approach  to  El  Mete m ma— Appearance  of  the 
Town— Preparations  for  the  Desert — Meeting  Old  Acquaintances. 

The  wind  blew  so  violently  on  the  morning  of  my  departure 
from  Khartoum,  that  the  ferry-boat  which  had  been  engaged 
to  convey  my  equipage  to  the  Kordofan  shore,  could  not  round 
the  point  at  the  junction  of  the  Niles.  My  camels,  with  the 
Kababish  guide  and  drivers,  had  been  ferried  over  the  evening 
previous,  and  were  in  readiness  to  start.  In  this  dilemma  Dr. 
Peney,  with  whom  I  had  engaged  to  take  a  parting  breakfast, 
kindly  gave  me  the  use  of  his  neither  and  its  crew.  Our 
breakfast  was  a  fete  champetre  under  the  beautiful  nebbuk 
tree  in  the  Doctor's  court-yard,  and  consisted  of  a  highly* 
spiced  salmi  of  his  own  compounding,  a  salad  of  lettuce  and 
tomatoes,  and  a  bottle  of  Cyprus  wine.  The  coolness  and 
force  of  the  north-wind  gave  us  a  keen  appetite,  and  our  kind 


DEPARTURE    FROM    KHARTOUM.  393 

host  could  not  say  that  we  slighted  his  culinary  skill,  for  verily 
there  was  nothing  but  empty  plates  to  be  seen,  when  we  arose 
from  the  table.  Dr.  Reitz  and  I  hastened  on  board  the  nek- 
ker,  which  immediately  put  off.  I  left  Khartoum,  regretting 
to  leave  a  few  friends  behind  me  in  that  furnace  of  Soudan, 
yet  glad  to  escape  therefrom  myself.  A  type  of  the  character 
of  the  place  was  furnished  us  while  making  our  way  to  Omdur- 
man.  We  passed  the  body  of  a  woman,  who  had  been  stran- 
gled and  thrown  into  the  water ;  a  sight  which  the  natives 
regarded  without  the  least  surprise.  The  Consul  immediately 
dispatched  one  of  his  servants  to  the  Governor  of  the  city,  ask- 
ing him  to  have  the  body  taken  away  and  properly  interred. 
It  was  full  two  hours  before  we  reached  the  western  bank  of 
the  Nile,  opposite  Omdurman.  Achmet,  who  had  preceded 
me,  had  drummed  up  the  Kababish,  and  they  were  in  readi- 
ness with  my  camels.  The  work  of  apportioning  and  loading 
the  baggage  was  finished  by  noon,  and  the  caravan  started, 
preceded  by  the  guide,  Mohammed,  who  shook  his  long  spear 
in  a  general  defiance  of  all  enemies. 

Dr.  Reitz  and  I,  with  our  attendants,  set  off  in  advance  on 
a  quick  trot.  Our  path  led  over  a  bleak,  barren  plain,  cover 
ed  with  thorns,  through  which  the  wind  whistled  with  a  wintry 
sound.  The  air  was  filled  with  clouds  of  sand,  which  gave  a 
pale  and  sickly  cast  to  the  sunshine.  My  friend  was  unwel. 
and  desponding,  and  after  we  had  ridden  eight  mile?!,  he  halt- 
ed to  rest  in  a  deep,  rocky  gully,  where  we  were  sheltered 
from  the  wind.  Here  we  lay  down  upon  the  sand  until  the 
caravan  came  along,  when  we  parted  from  each  other.  "  You  are 
going  back  to  Europe  and  Civilization  ;  "  said  he  mournfully  ; 
"you  have  an  encouraging  future  before  you — while  I  can  only 
17* 


394  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

look  forward  to  the  prospect  of  leaving  my  bones  in  this 
accursed  land."  He  then  embraced  me,  mounted  his  drome- 
dary, and  was  soon  lost  to  my  sight  among  the  sand  and  thorns 
Little  did  I  then  imagine  that  his  last  words  were  the  unhappy 
prediction  which  another  year  would  see  verified  !  # 

We  halted  for  the  night  near  the  village  of  Gerrari.  I 
slept  but  indifferently,  with  the  heavy  head  and  gloomy  spirits 
I  had  brought  from  Khartoum ;  but  the  free  life  of  my  tent 
did  not  fail  of  its  usual  effect,  and  I  rose  the  next  morning 
fresh,  strong,  and  courageous.  We  were  obliged  to  travel 
slowly,  on  account  of  the  nature  of  the  road,  which,  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  distance  to  El  Metemma,  lay  in  the  Desert, 
just  beyond  the  edge  of  the  cultivated  land.     For  the  first  day 

*  Dr.  Constantine  Reitz  died  about  a  year  after  my  departure  from 
Soudan,  from  the  effects  of  the  climate.  lie  had  been  ill  for  some 
months,  and  while  making  a  journey  to  Kordofan,  felt  himself  growing 
worse  so  rapidly  that  he  returned  to  Khartoum,  where  he  expired  in  a 
few  days.  He  was  about  thirty-three  years  of  age,  and  his  many  ac- 
quirements, joined  to  a  character  of  singular  energy  and  persistence, 
had  led  his  friends  to  hope  for  important  results  from  his  residence  in 
Central  Africa.  With  manners  of  great  brusqueness  and  eccentricity, 
his  generosity  was  unbounded,  and  this,  combined  with  his  intrepidity 
and  his  skill  as  a  horseman  and  a  hunter,  made  him  a  general  favorite 
with  the  Arab  chieftains  of  Ethiopia,  whose  cause  he  was  always 
ready  to  advocate,  against  the  oppressive  measures  of  the  Egyptian 
Government.  It  will  always  be  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  the  author, 
that,  in  passing  through  Germany  in  September,  1852,  he  visited  the 
parents  of  Dr.  Reitz,  whose  father  is  a  Forstmeister,  or  Inspector  of 
Forests,  near  Darmstadt.  The  joy  which  they  exhibited  on  hearing 
from  their  son  through  one  who  had  so  recently  seen  him,  was  mixed 
with  sadness  as  they  expressed  the  fear  that  they  would  never  see  him 
again — a  fear,  alas !  too  soon  realized. 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  395 

or  two,  we  rode  over  dry,  stony  plains,  covered  with  thicket? 
of  the  small  thorny  mimosa  and  patches  of  long  yellow  grass. 
The  country  is  crossed  by  deep  gullies,  through  which  the 
streams  formed  by  the  summer  rains  flow  to  the  Nile.  Their 
banks  are  lined  with  a  thick  growth  of  sont,  nebbuk,  and  other 
trees  peculiar  to  Central  Africa,  in  which  many  lions  make 
their  lairs  and  prey  upon  the  flocks  of  the  Arabs.  One  bold, 
fierce  fellow  had  established  himself  on  the  island  of  Musakar 
Bey,  just  below  the  junction  of  the  Nile,  and  carried  off  night- 
ly a  sheep  or  calf,  defying  the  attempts  of  the  natives  to  take 
him.  Our  view  was  confined  to  the  thorns,  on  whose  branches 
we  left  many  shreds  of  clothing  as  mementoes  of  the  journey, 
and  to  the  barren  range  of  Djebel  Gerrari,  stretching  west- 
ward into  the  Desert.  Occasionally,  however,  in  crossing  the 
low  spurs  which  ran  out  from  this  chain,  the  valley  of  the 
Nile — the  one  united  Nile  again — lay  before  us,  far  to  the 
east  and  north-east,  the  river  glistening  in  the  sun  as  he  spread 
his  arms  round  island  after  island,  till  his  lap  could  hold  no 
more.  The  soil  is  a  poor,  coarse  gravel,  and  the  inhabitants 
support  themselves  by  their  herds  of  sheep  and  goats,  which 
browse  on  the  thorns.  In  places  there  are  large  thickets  of 
the  usher,  or  euphorbia,  twenty  feet  high.  It  grows  about  the 
huts  of  the  natives,  who  make  no  attempt  to  exterminate  it, 
notwithstanding  the  poisonous  nature  of  its  juice.  Every  mile 
or  two  we  passed  a  large  Arab  burying-ground,  crowded  with 
rough  head  and  foot-stones,  except  where  white  pennons,  flut* 
tering  on  poles,  denoted  a  more  than  ordinary  sanctity  in  the 
deceased.  The  tomb  of  the  Shekh,  or  holy  man  of  Merreh, 
was  a  conical  structure  of  stones  and  clay,  about  fifteen  feet  in 
breadth  at  the  base,  and  twenty  feet  high.     The  graves  are  sc 


396  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

numerous  and  the  dwellings  so  few,  that  one  Has  the  impres- 
sion of  travelling  in  a  country  depopulated  by  the  pestilence ; 
yet  we  met  many  persons  on  the  road — partly  Kababish,  and 
partly  natives  of  Dongola  and  Mahass.  The  men  touched 
their  lips  and  foreheads  on  passing  me,  and  the  women  greet- 
ed me  with  that  peculiar  "  hab-bab-ba ! "  which  seems  to  be 
the  universal  expression  of  salutation  among  the  various  tribes 
of  Central  Africa. 

My  guide,  Mohammed,  was  a  Kababish,  and  the  vainest 
and  silliest  Arab  I  ever  knew.  He  wore  his  hair  in  long 
braids,  extending  from  the  forehead  and  temples  to  the  nape 
of  the  neck,  and  kept  in  their  places  by  a  layer  of  mutton-fat, 
half  an  inch  thick,  which  filled  up  the  intervening  spaces. 
His  hollow  cheeks,  deep-sunken  eyes,  thin  and  wiry  beard,  and 
the  long  spear  he  carried  in  his  hand  made  him  a  fair  represen- 
tative of  Don  Quixote,  and  the  resemblance  was  not  diminished 
by  the  gaunt  and  ungainly  camel  on  which  he  jogged  along  at 
the  head  of  my  caravan.  He  was  very  devout,  praying  for 
quite  an  unreasonable  length  of  time  before  and  after  meals, 
and  always  had  a  large  patch  of  sand  on  his  forehead,  from 
striking  it  on  the  ground,  as  he  knelt  towards  Mecca.  Both 
his  arms,  above  the  elbows,  were  covered  with  rings  of  hippo- 
potamus hide,  to  .which  were  attached  square  leathern  cases, 
containing  sentences  of  the  Koran,  as  charms  to  keep  away 
sickness  and  ejril  spirits.  The  other  man,  Said,  was  a  Shy- 
gheean,  willing  and  good-natured  enough,  but  slow  and  regard- 
less of  truth,  as  all  Arabs  are.  Indeed,  the  best  definition  of 
an  Arab  which  I  can  give,  is — a  philosophizing  sinner.  His 
fatalism  gives  him  a  calm  and  equable  temperamont  under  all 
circumstances,  and  "  God  wills  it!"  or  "God  is  merciful!' 


CHARACTER    OF    THE    ARABS.  39*7 

is  the  solace  for  every  misfortune.  But  this  same  careless- 
ness to  the  usual  accidents  of  life  extends  also  to  his  speech  and 
his  dealings  with  other  men.  I  will  not  say  that  an  Arab 
never  speaks  truth  :  on  the  contrary,  he  always  does,  if  he 
happens  to  remember  it,  and  there  is  no  object  to  be  gained 
by  suppressing  it;  but  rather  than  trouble  himself  to  answer 
correctly  a  question  which  requires  some  thought,  he  tells  you 
whatever  comes  uppermost  in  his  mind,  though  certain  to  be 
detected  the  next  minute.  He  is  like  a  salesman,  who,  if  he 
does  not  happen  to  have  the  article  you  want,  offers  you  some 
thing  else,  rather  than  let  you  go  away  empty-handed.  In 
regard  to  his  dealings,  what  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson  says  of 
Egypt,  that  "  nobody  parts  with  money  without  an  effort  to 
defraud,"  is  equally  true  of  Nubia  and  Soudan.  The  people 
do  not  steal  outright ;  but  they  have  a  thousand  ways  of  doing 
it  in  an  indirect  and  civilized  manner,  and  they  are  perfect 
masters  of  all  those  petty  arts  of  fraud  which  thrive  so  greenly 
in  the  great  commercial  cities  of  Christendom.  With  these 
slight  drawbacks,  there  is  much  to  like  in  the  Arabs,  and  they 
are  certainly  the  most  patient,  assiduous  and  good-humored 
people  in  the  world.  If  they  fail  in  cheating  you,  they  re- 
spect you  the  more,  and  they  are  so  attentive  to  you,  so  ready 
to  take  their  mood  from  yours — to  laugh  when  you  are  cheer- 
ful, and  be  silent  when  you  are  grave — so  light-hearted  in  the 
performance  of  severe  duties,  that  if  you  commence  your  ac- 
quaintance by  despising,  you  finish  by  cordially  liking  them. 

On  a  journey  like  that  which  I  was  then  commencing,  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  preserve  a  good  understanding  with 
your  men  and  beasts  ;  otherwise  travel  will  be  a  task,  and  a 
severe  one,  instead  of  a  recreation.     After  my  men  had  vainly 


398  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

tried  a  number  of  expedients,  to  get  the  upper  hand  of  me,  I 
drilled  them  into  absolute  obedience,  and  found  their  charac- 
ter much  improved  thereby.  With  my  dromedary,  whom  I 
called  Abou-Sin,  (the  Father  of  Teeth),  from  the  great  shekh 
of  the  Shukoree  Arabs,  to  whom  he  originally  belonged,  I  was 
soon  on  good  terms.  He  was  a  beast  of  excellent  temper, 
with  a  spice  of  humor  in  his  composition,  and  a  fondness  for 
playing  practical  jokes.  But  as  I  always  paid  them  back, 
neither  party  could  complain,  though  Abou-Sin  sometimes 
gurgled  out  of  his  long  throat  a  string  of  Arabic  gutturals,  in 
remonstrance.  He  came  up  to  my  tent  and  knelt  at  precisely 
the  same  hour  every  evening,  to  get  his  feed  of  dourra,  and 
when  I  was  at  breakfast  always  held  his  lips  pursed  up,  ready 
to  take  the  pieces  of  bread  I  gave  him.  My  men,  whom  I  agreed 
to  provide  with  food  during  the  journey,  were  regaled  every 
day  with  mutton  and  mareesa,  the  two  only  really  good  things 
to  be  found  in  Soudan.  A  fat  sheep  cost  8  piastres  (40  cents), 
and  we  killed  one  every  three  days.  The  meat  was  of  excel- 
lent flavor.  Mareesa  is  made  of  the  coarse  grain  called  dour- 
ra, which  is  pounded  into  flour  by  hand,  mixed  with  water,  and 
heated  over  a  fire  in  order  to  produce  speedy  fermentation.  It 
is  always  drunk  the  day  after  being  made,  as  it  turns  sour  on 
the  third  day.  It  is  a  little  stronger  than  small  beer,  and  has 
a  taste  similar  to  wheat  bran,  unpleasant  on  the  first  trial  and 
highly  palatable  on  the  second.  A  jar  holding  two  gallons 
costs  one  piastre,  and  as  few  families,  however  poor,  are  with- 
out it,  we  always  found  plenty  of  it  for  sale  in  the  villages.  It 
is  nutritious,  promotive  of  digestion,  and  my  experience  went  to 
prove  that  it  was  not  only  a  harmless  but  most  wholesome  drink 
in  tha  t  stifling  climate.      Om  bilbil,  the  mother  of  nightingales, 


A    SOUDAN    DITTY.  399 

which  is  made  from  wheat,  is  stronger,  and  has  a  pungent 
flavor.  The  people  in  general  are  remarkably  temperate,  but 
sailors  and  camel-men  are  often  not  content  without  arakee,  a 
sort  of  weak  brandy  made  from  dates.  I  have  heard  this  song- 
sung  so  often  that  I  cannot  choose  but  recollect  the  words.  It 
is  in  the  Arabic  jargon  of  Soudan  : 

"El-toombak  sheraboo  dowaia, 
Oo  el  karafeen  ed  dowa  il  'es-sufa'ia, 
Oo  el  arakee  legheetoo  monnaia, 
Om  bilbil  bukkoosoo  bxirrai'a." 

[Tobacco  I  smoke  in  the  pipe ;  and  mareesa  is  a  medicine 
to  the  sufaia ;  (i.  e.  the  bag  of  palm  fibres  through  which  it  is 
strained),  but  arakee  makes  me  perfectly  contented,  and  then 
T  will  not  even  look  at  bilbil]. 

The  third  day  after  leaving  Khartoum,  I  reached  the 
mountains  of  Gerri,  through  which  the  Nile  breaks  his  way  in 
a  narrow  pass.  Here  I  hailed  as  an  old  acquaintance  the 
island-hill  of  Rowyan  (the  watered,  or  unthirsty).  This  is 
truly  a  magnificent  peak,  notwithstanding  its  height  is  not 
more  than  seven  hundred  feet.  Neither  is  Soracte  high,  yet  it 
produces  a  striking  effect,  even  with  the  loftier  Apennines 
behind  it.  The  Rowyan  is  somewhat  similar  to  Soracte  in 
form.  There  are  a  few  trees  on  the  top,  which  shows  that 
there  must  be  a  deposit  of  soil  above  its  barren  ramparts,  and 
were  I  a  merchant  of  Khartoum  I  should  build  a  summer  resi- 
dence there,  and  by  means  of  hydraulics  create  a  grove  and 
garden  around  it.  The  akaba,  or  desert  pass,  which  we  were 
obliged  to  take  in  order  to  reach  the  river  again,  is  six  hours 
in  length,  through  a  wild,  stony  tract,  covered  with  immense 


400  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

boulders  of  granite,  hurled  and  heaped  together  in  the  same 
chaotic  manner  as  is  exhibited  in  the  rocks  between  Assouan 
and  Philae.  After  passing  the  range,  a  wide  plain  again  open- 
ed before  us,  the  course  of  the  Nile  marked  in  its  centre  by  the 
darker  hue  of  the  nebbuks  and  sycamores,  rising  above  the 
long  gray  belts  of  thorn-trees.  The  mountains  which  inclose 
the  fallen  temples  of  Mesowurat  and  Naga  appeared  far  to  the 
east.  The  banks  of  the  river  here  are  better  cultivated  than 
further  up  the  stream.  The  wheat,  which  was  just  sprouting, 
during  my  upward  journey,  was  now  two  feet  high,  and  rolled 
before  the  wind  in  waves  of  dark,  intense,  burning  green. 
The  brilliancy  of  color  in  these  mid- African  landscapes  is  truly 
astonishing. 

The  north-wind,  which  blew  the  sand  furiously  in  our  faces 
during  the  first  three  days  of  the  journey,  ceased  at  this  point 
and  the  weather  became  once  more  intensely  hot.  The  first 
two  or  three  hours  of  the  morning  were,  nevertheless,  deli- 
cious. The  temperature  was  mild,  and  there  was  a  June-like 
breeze  which  bore  far  and  wide  the  delicate  odor  of  the  mimo- 
sa blossoms.  The  trees  were  large  and  thick,  as  on  the  White 
Nile,  forming  long,  orchard-like  belts  between  the  grain-fields 
and  the  thorny  clumps  of  the  Desert.  The  flocks  of  black 
goats  which  the  natives  breed,  were  scattered  among  these 
trees,  and  numbers  of  the  animals  stood  perfectly  upright  on 
their  hind  legs,  as  they  nibbled  off  the  ends  of  the  higher 
branches. 

On  the  morning  after  leaving  Akaba  Gerri,  I  had  two  al- 
tercations with  my  men.  Mohammed  had  left  Khartoum 
without  a  camel,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  saving  money. 
In  a  day  or  two,  however,  he  limped  so  much  that  I  put  him 


AN    ALTERCATION    WITH    THE    GUIDE.  401 

upon  Achmet's  dromedary  for  a  few  hours.  This  was  an  im- 
position, for  every  guide  is  obliged  to  furnish  his  own  camel, 
and  I  told  the  old  man  that  he  should  ride  no  more.  He  there- 
upon prevailed  upon  Said  to  declare  that  their  contract  was  to 
take  me  to  Ambukol,  instead  of  Merawe.  This,  considering 
that  the  route  had  been  distinctly  stated  to  them  by  Dr.  Reitz, 
in  my  presence,  and  put  in  writing  by  the  moodir,  Abdallah 
Effendi,  and  that  the  name  of  Ambukol  was  not  once  mention- 
ed, was  a  falsehood  of  the  most  brazen  character.  I  told  the 
men  they  were  liars,  and  that  sooner  than  yield  to  them  I 
would  return  to  Khartoum  and  have  them  punished,  where- 
upon they  saw  they  had  gone  too  far,  and  made  a  seeming  com- 
promise by  declaring  that  they  would  willingly  take  me  to 
Merawe,  if  I  wished  it. 

Towards  noon  we  reached  the  village  of  Derreira,  nearly 
opposite  the  picturesque  rapids  of  the  Nile.  I  gave  Moham- 
med half  a  piastre  and  sent  him  after  mareesa,  two  gallons  of 
which  he  speedily  procured.  A  large  gourd  was  filled  for  me, 
and  I  drank  about  a  quart  without  taking  "breath.  Before  it 
had  left  my  lips,  I  experienced  a  feeling  of  vigor  and  elasticity 
throughout  my  whole  frame,  which  refreshed  me  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  day.  Mohammed  stated  that  the  tents  of  some 
of  his  tribe  were  only  about  four  hours  distant,  and  asked  leave 
to  go  and  procure  a  camel,  promising  to  rejoin  us  at  El  Me- 
temma  the  next  day.  As  Said  knew  the  way,  and  could  have 
piloted  me  in  case  the  old  sinner  should  not  return,  I  gave 
him  leave  to  go. 

Achmet  and  I  rode  for  nearly  two  hours  over  a  stony, 
thorny  plain,  before  we  overtook  the  baggage  camels.  When 
at  last  we  came  in  sight  of  them,  the  brown  camel  was  running 


402  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

loose  without  his  load  and  Said  trying  to  catch  him.  My  pro- 
vision-chests were  tumbled  upon  the  ground,  the  cafass  broken 
to  pieces  and  the  chickens  enjoying  the  liberty  of  the  Desert 
Said,  it  seemed,  had  stopped  to  talk  with  some  women,  leaving 
the  camel,  which  was  none  too  gentle,  to  take  care  of  himself. 
Achmet  was  so  incensed  that  he  struck  the  culprit  in  the  face, 
whereupon  he  cried  out,  with  a  rueful  voice  :  a  ya  Jchosara  !  " 
(oh,  what  a  misfortune  !).  After  half  an  hour's  labor  the 
boxes  were  repacked,  minus  their  broken  crockery,  the  chickens 
caught  and  the  camel  loaded.  The  inhabitants  of  this  region 
were  mostly  Shygheeans,  who  had  emigrated  thither.  They 
are  smaller  and  darker  than  the  people  of  Mahass,  but  resem- 
ble them  in  character.  In  one  of  the  villages  which  we  pass- 
ed, the  soog,  or  market,  was  being  held.  I  rode  through  the 
crowd  to  see  what  they  had  to  sell,  but  found  only  the  simplest 
articles  :  camels,  donkeys,  sheep,  goats  ;  mats,  onions,  butter, 
with  some  baskets  of  raw  cotton  and  pieces  of  stuff  spun  and 
woven  by  the  natives.  The  sales  must  be  principally  by  bar- 
ter, as  there  is  little  money  in  the  country. 

In  the  afternoon  we  passed  another  akaba,  even  more  diffi- 
cult for  camels  than  that  of  Gerri.  The  tracks  were  rough 
and  stony,  crossed  by  frequent  strata  of  granite  and  porphyry. 
From  the  top  of  one  of  the  ridges  I  had  a  fine  view  of  a  little 
valley  of  mimosas  which  lay  embayed  in  the  hills  and  washed 
by  the  Nile,  which  here  curved  grandly  round  from  west  to 
south,  his  current  glittering  blue  and  broad  in  the  sun.  The 
opposite  bank  was  flat  and  belted  with  wheat  fields,  beyond 
which  stretched  a  gray  forest  of  thorns  and  then  the  yellow  sa- 
vannas of  Shendy,  walled  in  the  distance  by  long,  blue,  broken 
ranges  of  mountains.     The  summit  of  a  hill  near  our  road  was 


APPROACH  TO  EL  METEMMA.  403 

surrounded  with  a  thick  wall,  formed  of  natural  blocks  of  black 
porphyry.  It  had  square,  projecting  bastions  at  regular  inter- 
vals, and  an  entrance  on  the  western  side.  From  its  appear- 
ance, form  and  position,  it  had  undoubtedly  been  a  stronghold 
of  some  one  of  the  Arab  tribes,  and  can  claim  no  great  antiqui- 
ty. I  travelled  on  until  after  sunset,  when,  as  no  village  ap- 
peared, I  camped  in  a  grove  of  large  mimosas,  not  far  from 
the  Nile.  A  few  Shygheean  herdsmen  were  living  in  brush 
huts  near  at  hand,  and  dogs  and  jackals  howled  incessantly 
through  the  night. 

On  the  fifth  day  I  reached  the  large  town  of  El  Metemma, 
nearly  opposite  Shendy,  and  the  capital  of  a  negro  kingdom, 
before  the  Egyptian  usurpation.  The  road,  on  approaching  it, 
leads  over  a  narrow  plain,  covered  with  a  shrub  resembling 
heather,  bordered  on  one  side  by  the  river,  and  on  the  other 
by  a  long  range  of  bare  red  sand-hills.  We  journeyed  for 
more  than  three  hours,  passing  point  after  point  of  the  hills, 
only  to  find  other  spurs  stretching  out  ahead  of  us.  From  the 
intense  heat  I  was  very  anxious  to  reach  El  Metemma,  and 
was  not  a  little  rejoiced  when  I  discerned  a  grove  of  date-trees, 
which  had  been  pointed  out  to  me  from  Shendy,  a  month  before, 
as  the  landmark  of  the  place.  Soon  a  cluster  of  buildings  ap- 
peared on  the  sandy  slopes,  but  as  we  approached,  I  saw  they 
were  ruins.  We  turned  another  point,  and  reached  another 
group  of  tokuls  and  clay  houses — ruins  also.  Another  point, 
and  more  ruins,  and  so  for  more  than  a  mile  before  we  reach- 
ed the  town,  which  commences  at  the  last  spur  of  the  hillSj 
and  extends  along  the  plain  for  a  mile  and  a  half. 

It  is  a  long  mass  of  one-story  mud  buildings,  and  the  most 
miserable  place  of  its  size  that  I  have  seen  in  Central  Africa, 


404  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

There  is  no  bazaar,  but  an  open  market-place,  where  the  peo- 
ple sit  on  the  ground  and  sell  their  produce,  consisting  of 
dourra,  butter,  dates,  onions,  tobacco  and  a  few  grass  mats. 
There  may  be  a  mosque  in  the  place,  but  in  the  course  of  my 
ramble  through  the  streets,  I  saw  nothing  that  looked  like 
one.  Half  the  houses  appeared  to  be  uninhabited,  and  the 
natives  were  a  hideous  mixture  of  the  red  tribes  of  Mahass 
and  Shygheea  and  the  negro  races  of  Soudan.  A  few  people 
were  moving  lazily  through  the  dusty  and  filthy  lanes,  but  the 
greater  portion  were  sitting  in  the  earth,  on  the  shady  side  of 
the  houses.  In  one  of  the  streets  I  was  taken  for  the  Medical 
Inspector  of  the  town,  a  part  of  whose  business  it  is  to  see 
that  it  is  kept  free  from  filth.  Two  women  came  hastily  out 
of  the  houses  and  began  sweeping  vigorously,  saying  to  me  as 
I  came  up  :  "  You  see,  we  are  sweeping  very  clean."  It  would 
have  been  much  more  agreeable  to  me,  had  the  true  Inspector 
gone  his  rounds  the  day  before.  El  Metemma  and  Shendy  are 
probably  the  most  immoral  towns  in  all  Central  Africa.  The 
people  informed  me  that  it  was  a  regular  business  for  persons 
to  buy  female  slaves,  and  hire  them  for  the  purpose  of  prosti- 
tution, all  the  money  received  in  this  vile  way  going  into  the 
owner's  pocket. 

I  was  occupied  the  rest  of  the  day  and  the  next  morning 
in  procuring  and  filling  additional  water-skins,  and  preparing 
to  cross  the  Beyooda.  Achmet  had  a  quantity  of  bread  baked, 
for  the  journey  would  occupy  seven  or  eight  days,  and  there 
was  no  possibility  of  procuring  provisions  on  the  road.  Mo- 
hammed did  not  make  his  appearance  at  the  appointed  time, 
and  I  determined  to  start  without  him,  my  caravan  being  in- 
creased  by  a  Dongolese   merchant,  and  a   poor    Shygheeau, 


MEETING    OLD    ACQUAINTANCES.  405 

whose  only  property  was  a  club  and  a  wooden  bowl,  and  who 
asked  leave  to  help  tend  the  camels  for  the  sake  of  food  and 
water  on  the  way.  All  of  the  Beyooda,  which  term  is  applied 
to  the  broad  desert  region  west  of  the  Nile  and  extending 
southward  from  Nubia  to  Kordofan  and  Dar-Fiir,  is  iufested 
with  marauding  tribes  of  Arabs,  and  though  at  present  their 
depredations  are  less  frequent  than  formerly,  still,  from  the 
total  absence  of  all  protection,  the  traveller  is  exposed  to  con- 
siderable risk.  For  this  reason,  it  is  not  usual  to  find  small 
parties  traversing  this  route,  as  in  the  Nubian  Desert. 

I  added  to  my  supplies  a  fat  sheep,  a  water-skin  filled  with 
mareesa,  a  sheaf  of  raw  onions  (which  are  a  great  luxury  in 
the  Desert),  and  as  many  fowls  as  could  be  procured  in  El 
Metemma.  Just  as  we  were  loading  the  camels,  who  should 
come  up  but  Beshir  and  two  or  three  more  of  the  Mahassee 
sailors,  who  had  formed  part  of  my  crew  from  Berber  to 
Khartoum.  They  came  up  and  kissed  my  hand,  exclaiming  : 
"  May  God  prosper  you,  0  Effendi  !"  They  immediately  set 
about  helping  to  load  the  camels,  giving  us,  meanwhile,  news 
of  every  thing  that  had  happened.  Beshir's  countenance  fell 
when  I  asked  him  about  his  Metemma  sweetheart,  Gammero- 
Betahadjero  ;  she  had  proved  faithless  to  him.  The  America 
was  again  on  her  way  from  Berber  to  Khartoum,  with  a  com- 
pany of  merchants.  The  old  slave,  Bakhita,  unable  to  bear 
the  imputation  of  being  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  old,  had  run 
away  from  the  vessel.  When  the  camels  were  loaded  and  we 
were  ready  to  mount,  I  gave  the  sailors  a  few  piastres  to  buy 
mareesa  and  sent  them  away  rejoicing. 


406  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

THE       BEYOODA      DESERT. 

Entering  the  Desert — Character  of  the  Scenery — Wells — Fear  of  the  Arabs — The  La- 
loom  Tree— Effect  of  the  Hot  Wind — Mohammed  overtakes  us — Arab  Endurance — 
An  unpleasant  Bedfellow — Comedy  of  the  Crows — Gazelles — We  encounter  a  Sand- 
storm— The  Mountain  of  Thirst — The  Wells  of  Djeekdud — A  Mountain  Pass- 
Desert  Intoxication — Scenery  of  the  Table-land— Bir  Khannik — The  Kababish 
Arabs— Gazelles  again — Euins  of  an  Ancient  Coptic  Monastery— Distant  View  of  the 
Nile  Valley — Djebel  Berkel — We  come  into  Port. 

"  He  sees  the  red  sirocco  wheeling 
Its  sandy  columns  o'er  the  waste, 
And  streams  through  palmy  valleys  stealing, 
Where  the  plumed  ostrich  speeds  in  haste."— Freiligratii. 

We  left  El  Metemma  at  noon,  on  the  tenth  of  February. 
Crossing  the  low  ridge  of  red  sand,  at  the  foot  of  which  the 
town  is  built,  the  wind  came  fresh  to  meet  us,  across  the  long, 
level  savanna  of  yellow  grass  and  shrubs  which  stretched  away 
to  the  west  and  north,  without  a  bound.  The  prospect  was 
exhilarating,  after  the  continual  hem  of  thorns,  which  had  lined 
our  road  from  Khartoum.  It  was  a  great  relief  to  turn  the 
eye  from  the  bare,  scorching  mud  walls  of  the  town,  to  the 
freshness  and  freedom  of  the  Desert.  I  took  a  last  look  at  the 
wheat-fields  of  the  Nile,  and  then  turned  my  face  northward, 


ENTERING    THE    DESERT.  40*11 

towards  the  point  where  I  expected  to  meet  his  current  again. 
The  plain  was  very  level,  and  the  road  excellent  for  our 
camels.  In  places  where  there  was  a  slight  depression  of  the 
soil,  a  long,  slender  species  of  grass  grew  in  thick  tufts,  afford- 
ing nourishment  to  the  herds  of  the  wandering  Arab  tribes. 
There  were  also  narrow  belts  of  white  thorn  and  a  curious 
shrub,  with  leaves  resembling  the  jasmine.  In  two  hours  we 
reached  a  well,  where  some  Kababish  were  drawing  water  for 
their  goats  and  asses.  It  was  about  twenty  feet  deep,  and  the 
water  was  drawn  in  skins  let  down  with  ropes.  We  kept  on 
until  sunset,  when  we  encamped  in  an  open,  gravelly  space, 
surrounded  with  patches  of  grass,  on  which  the  camels  brows- 
ed. The  hot  weather  of  the  past  two  or  three  days  had  called 
into  life  a  multitude  of  winged  and  creeping  insects,  and  they 
assailed  me  on  all  sides. 

The  next  morning,  after  travelling  more  than  two  hours 
over  the  plain,  we  reached  a  series  of  low  hills,  or  rather  swells 
of  the  Desert,  covered  with  black  gravel  and  fragments  of  por- 
phyritic  rock.  They  appeared  to  be  outlying  spurs  of  a  moun- 
tain range  which  we  saw  to  the  northwest.  From  the  highest 
of  them  we  saw  before  us  a  long,  shallow  valley,  opening  far 
to  the  north-east.  It  was  thickly  covered  with  tufts  of  yellow- 
ish-green grass,  sprinkled  with  trees  of  various  kinds.  The 
merchant  pointed  out  a  grove  in  the  distance  as  the  location 
of  Bir  Abou-leer,  the  first  well  on  the  road.  His  sharp  eye 
discerned  a  company  of  Arabs,  who  were  encamped  near  it,  and 
who,  seeing  Achmet  and  myself  in  our  Turkish  dresses,  were 
preparing  to  fly.  He  urged  his  dromedary  into  a  fast  trot  and 
rode  ahead  to  reassure  them.  They  were  a  tall,  wild-looking 
people,  very  scantily  dressed  ;   the  men  had  long  black  hair, 


408  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

moustaches  and  beards,  and  carried  spears  in  their  hands. 
They  looked  at  us  with  suspicion,  but  did  not  refuse  the  cus- 
tomary "  hab-bab-ba  ! "  The  wells  were  merely  pits,  not  more 
than  four  or  five  feet  deep,  dug  in  the  clayey  soil,  and  contain- 
ing at  the  bottom  a  constant  supply  of  cool,  sweet  water.  We 
watered  our  camels  in  basins  scooped  for  that  purpose  in  the 
earth,  and  then  took  breakfast  under  the  thorns.  Among  the 
trees  in  the  wady  was  one  resembling  the  nebbuk  in  foliage,  and 
with  a  fruit  similar  in  appearance,  but  larger  and  of  different 
flavor.  The  Arabs  called  it  laloom,  and  gathered  some  of  the 
fruit  for  me  to  taste.  It  has  a  thin,  brittle  outer  rind,  con- 
taining a  hard  stone,  covered  with  a  layer  of  gummy  paste, 
most  intensely  sweet  and  bitter  in  the  mouth.  It  has  precise- 
ly the  flavor  of  the  medicine  known  to  children  as  Hive  Syrup. 
"We  resumed  our  course  along  the  wady,  nearly  to  its  ter- 
mination at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  when  the  road  turned 
to  the  right  over  another  succession  of  hard,  gravelly  ridges, 
flanked  on  the  west  by  hills  of  coal-black  porphyry.  During 
the  afternoon  the  wind  was  sometimes  as  hot  as  a  furnace- 
blast,  and  I  felt  my  very  blood  drying  up  in  its  intensity.  I 
had  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  temperature,  but  it  could  not 
have  been  less  than  105°.  Nevertheless,  the  sky  was  so  clear 
and  blue,  the  sunshine  so  perfect,  and  the  Desert  so  inspiring 
that  I  was  in  the  most  exulting  mood.  In  fact,  the  powerful 
dry  heat  of  the  air  produced  upon  me  a  bracing  effect,  similar 
to  that  of  sharp  cold.  It  gave  me  a  sensation  of  fierce,  savage 
vigor,  and  I  longed  for  an  Arab  lance  and  the  fleet  hoofs  of 
the  red  stallion  I  had  left  in  Khartoum.  At  times  the  burn- 
ing blasts  were  flavored  with  a  strong  aromatic  odor,  like  that 
of  dried  lavender,  which  was  as  stimulating  to  the  lungs  as 


MOHAMMED    OVERTAKES    US.  409 

herb-tea  to  the  stomach.  Our  provisions  soon  felt  the  effects 
of  this  continual  dry  heat.  Dates  became  as  pebbles  of  jasper, 
and  when  I  asked  my  servant  for  bread,  he  gave  me  a  stone. 

As  we  were  journeying  along  over  the  plain,  we  spied  a 
man  on  a  camel  trotting  behind  us,  and  in  half  an  hour,  lo  ! 
Mohammed  the  guide.  The  old  scamp  came  up  with  a 
younger  brother  behind  him,  whom  he  had  brought  without 
asking  permission,  and  without  bringing  food  for  him.  This 
made  eight  persons  I  was  obliged  to  feed,  and  as  our  bread 
and  meat  were  only  calculated  for  six,  I  put  them  on  allow- 
ance. Mohammed  had  his  hair  newly  plaited  and  covered 
with  a  layer  of  mutton-fat,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick.  I  saw 
very  little  of  the  vaunted  temperance  of  the  Arabs.  True, 
they  will  live  on  dates — when  they  can  get  nothing  else ;  and 
they  will  go  without  water  for  a  day — when  they  have  none. 
I  found  a  quart  of  water  daily  amply  sufficient  for  my  own 
needs,  notwithstanding  the  great  heat  we  endured ;  but  I  do 
not  think  one  of  the  men  drank  less  than  a  gallon  in  the  same 
time,  and  as  for  their  eating,  Achmet  frequently  declared  that 
they  would  finish  a  whole  sheep  before  getting  to  "el  hamdu 
lillah  !" — the  usual  Arabic  grace  after  meat. 

Towards  sunset  we  reached  an  open  space  of  ground  which 
had  not  been  touched  since  the  rains  of  the  previous  summer. 
The  soil  had  been  washed  smooth  and  then  dried  away  in  the 
sun,  leaving  a  thin,  cracked  crust,  like  that  which  frequently 
forms  after  a  light  snow-fall.  Our  camel's  feet  broke  through 
at  every  step,  making  the  only  trails  which  crossed  it,  except 
those  of  gazelles  and  vultures.  Achmet  was  about  to  pitch 
my  tent  near  some  snaky-looking  holes,  but  I  had  it  moved  to 
a  clearer  spot.  I  slept  without  interruption,  but  in  the  mora- 
18 


410  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


ing,  as  lie  was  about  to  roll  up  my  mattrass,  he  suddenly  let  it 
drop  and  rushed  out  of  the  tent,  exclaiming:  "  Oh  master, 
come  out !  come  out !  There  is  a  great  snake  in  your  bed  ! " 
I  looked,  and  truly  enough,  there  was  an  ugly  spotted  reptile 
coiled  up  on  the  straw  matting.  The  men  heard  the  alarm, 
and  my  servant  Ali  immediately  came  running  up  with  a  club. 
As  he  was  afraid  to  enter  the  tent,  he  threw  it  to  me,  and 
with  one  blow  I  put  the  snake  beyond  the  power  of  doing 
harm.  It  was  not  more  than  two  feet  long,  but  thick  and  club- 
shaped,  and  with  a  back  covered  with  green,  brown  and  yellow 
scales,  very  hard  and  bright.  The  Arabs,  who  by  this 
time  had  come  to  the  rescue,  said  it  was  a  most  venomous 
creature,  its  bite  causing  instant  death.  "  Allah  kereem!" 
(God  is  merciful !)  I  exclaimed,  and  they  all  heartily  respond- 
ed :  "God  be  praised!"  They  said  that  the  occurrence  de- 
noted long  life  to  me.  Although  no  birds  were  to  be  seen  at 
the  time,  not  ten  minutes  had  elapsed  before  two  large  crows 
appeared  in  the  air.  After  wheeling  over  us  once  or  twice, 
they  alighted  near  the  snake.  At  first,  they  walked  around  it 
at  a  distance,  occasionally  exchanging  glances,  and  turning  up 
their  heads  in  a  shrewd  manner,  which  plainly  said  :  "  No  you 
don't,  old  fellow !  want  to  make  us  believe  you're  dead,  do 
you  ?  "  They  bantered  each  other  to  take  hold  of  it  first,  and 
at  last  the  boldest  seized  it  suddenly  by  the  tail,  jumped  back- 
ward two  or  three  feet  and  then  let  it  fall.  He  looked  at  the 
other,  as  much  as  to  say :  "  If  he's  not  dead,  it's  a  capital 
sham ! "  The  other  made  a  similar  essay,  after  which  they 
alternately  dragged  and  shook  it,  and  consulted  some  time, 
before  they  agreed  that  it  was  actually  dead.  One  of  them 
then  took  it  by  the  tail  and  sailed  off  through  the  air,  its  scales 
glittering  in  the  sun  as  it  dangled  downward. 


WE    ENCOUNTER    A    SANDSTORM.  411 

On  the  third  day  we  left  the  plain  and  entered  on  a  region 
of  black,  stony  ridges,  with  grass  and  thorns  in  the  long  hol- 
lows between  them.  The  sky  was  so  clear  that  the  moon  (in 
her  last  quarter)  was  visible  until  nearly  noon.  About  ten 
o'clock,  from  one  of  the  porphyry  hills,  I  caught  sight  of 
Djebel  Attshan,  or  the  Mountain  of  Thirst,  which  crosses  the 
middle  of  the  Beyooda.  It  was  in  the  north  and  north-west, 
apparently  about  thirty  miles  distant.  During  the  morning 
I  saw  four  beautiful  gazelles,  not  more  than  a  stone's  throw 
distant.  One  of  them  was  lame,  which  induced  me  to  believe 
that  I  could  catch  it.  I  got  down  from  my  camel  and  crept 
stealthily  to  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  but  when  I  looked  down 
the  other  side,  no  gazelle  was  to  be  seen.  Half  a  dozen  nar 
row  gullies  branched  away  among  the  loose  mounds  of  stones, 
and  further  search  would  have  been  useless. 

At  noon  we  reached  another  and  different  region.  The 
grass  and  thorns  disappeared,  and  the  swells  of  black  gravel 
gave  place  to  long  drifts  of  bright  yellow  sand  which  extended  on 
all  sides  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  We  toiled  on,  over  drift 
after  drift,  but  there  was  still  the  same  dreary  yellow  waste, 
whitening  in  the  distance  under  the  glare  of  the  sun.  At  first, 
the  air  was  so  tremulous  with  the  radiated  heat,  that  the  whole 
landscape  glittered  and  wavered  like  the  sea,  and  the  brain 
became  giddy  from  gazing  on  its  unsteady  lines.  But  as  the 
wind  began  to  blow  more  violently,  this  disappeared.  The 
gky  then  became  obscured  nearly  to  the  zenith,  with  a  dull 
purple  haze,  arising  from  the  myriads  of  fine  grains  of  sand 
with  which  the  air  was  filled.  The  sun  became  invisible, 
although  there  were  no  clouds  in  the  sky,  and  we  seemed  to  be 
journeying  under  a  firmament  of  rusty  copper.     The  drifts 


412  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

were  constantly  forming  and  changing  shape,  and  the  sand 
vibrated  along  their  edges  or  scudded  in  swift  ripples  over  the 
plain,  with  that  dry,  sharp  sound  one  hears  in  winter,  when 
the  "  North-wind's  masonry"  is  going  on.  The  air  was  with- 
ering in  its  fierce  heat  and  occasioned  intense  thirst,  which, 
fortunately,  we  were  able  to  relieve.  The  storm  grew  more 
violent  and  the  burning  labyrinths  of  sand  more  intricate,  as 
we  advanced.  The  path  was  hidden  under  drifts  five  or  six  feet 
in  height,  and  the  tall  yellow  walls  were  creeping  every  minute 
nearer,  to  cover  it  completely.  The  piles  of  stones,  however, 
which  the  Arabs  have  made  on  the  tops  of  the  ridges  and 
replace  as  often  as  they  are  thrown  down,  guided  us,  and  after 
three  hours  and  a  half  in  a  spot  which  might  serve  as  the 
fourth  circle  of  Dante's  Hell,  we  emerged  on  the  open  plain 
and  saw  again  the  Mountain  of  Thirst,  which  had  been  hidden 
all  this  time.  The  camels,  which  were  restless  and  uneasy  in 
the  sand,  now  walked  more  cheerily.  The  sun  came  out  again, 
but  the  sky  still  retained  its  lurid  purple  hue.  We  all  drank 
deeply  of  the  brown  leathery  contents  of  our  water-skins  and 
pushed  steadily  onward  till  camping-time,  at  sunset.  While 
the  storm  lasted,  the  Arabs  crouched  close  .under  the  flanks  of 
the  camels  and  sheltered  themselves  from  the  sand.  Achmet 
and  the  Dongolese  merchant  unrolled  their  turbans  and 
muffled  them  around  their  faces,  but  on  following  their  exam- 
ple I  experienced  such  a  stifling  sensation  of  heat  that  I  at 
once  desisted,  and  rode  with  my  head  exposed  as  usual. 

We  halted  in  a  meadow-like  hollow,  full  of  abundant  grass, 
in  which  the  weary  camels  made  amends  for  their  hardships. 
The  wind  howled  so  fiercely  around  my  tent  that  I  went  to 
sleep  expecting  to  have  it  blown  about  my  ears  before  morn- 


THE    WELLS    OF    DJEEKDUD.  413 

lDg.  Djebel  Attshan  was  dimly  visible  in  the  starlight,  and 
we  saw  the  light  of  fires  kindled  by  the  Arabs  who  live  at  the 
wells  of  Djeekdud.  Said  was  anxious  to  go  on  to  the  wells 
and  have  a  carouse  with  the  natives,  and  when  I  refused 
threatened  to  leave  me  and  go  on  alone  to  Merawe.  "  Go  !  " 
said  I,  "just  as  soon  as  you  like" — but  this  was  the  very  thing 
he  did  not  want.  The  heat  which  I  had  absorbed  through  the 
day  began  to  ooze  out  again  as  the  temperature  of  the  air  fell, 
and  my  body  glowed  until  midnight  like  a  mass  of  molten 
metal.  On  lifting  up  my  blanket,  that  night,  a  large  scorpion 
tumbled  out,  but  scampered  away  so  quickly  that  we  could  not 
kill  him. 

We  were  up  betimes  the  next  morning,  and  off  for  Bir 
Djeekdud.  At  ten  o'clock  we  entered  a  wide  valley  extending 
to  the  southern  base  of  the  mountains.  It  was  quite  over- 
grown with  bushy  tufts  of  grass  and  scatteriDg  clumps  of 
trees.  Herds  of  goats  and  sheep,  with  a  few  camels  and  don- 
keys, were  browsing  over  its  surface,  and  I  saw  the  Arab  herds- 
men at  a  distance.  The  wells  lie  in  a  narrow  wady,  shut  in  by 
the  mountains,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  caravan  track.  We 
therefore  halted  in  the  shade  of  a  spreading  mimosa,  and  sent 
Said  and  the  guide's  brother  with  the  water-skins.  I  took  my 
breakfast  leisurely,  and  was  lying  on  my  back,  half  lulled  to 
sleep  by  the  singing  of  the  wind,  when  the  Dongolese  arrived. 
He  gave  us  to  drink  from  his  fresh  supply  of  water,  and  in- 
formed us  that  the  wells  in  the  valley  were  not  good,  but  that 
there  was  a  deposit  in  the  rocks  above,  which  wTas  pure  and 
sweet.  I  therefore  sent  Ali  off  in  all  haste  on  one  of  my 
dromedaries,  to  have  my  skins  filled  from  the  latter  place, 
which   occasioned  a  further  delay   of  two  hours.      An    Arab 


414  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

family  of  the  small  Saurat  tribe,  which  inhabits  that  region^ 
was  encamped  at  a  little  distance,  but  did  not  venture  to 
approach. 

Ali  described  the  well  as  a  vast  natural  hollow  in  the 
porphyry  rock,  in  the  centre  of  a  basin,  or  valley,  near  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  The  water  is  held  as  in  a  tank ;  it  is  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  deep,  and  as  clear  as  crystal.  The  taste 
is  deliciously  pure  and  fresh.  If  I  had  known  this  in  time,  I 
should  have  visited  the  place.  The  valley  of  Djeekdud  is 
about  two  miles  broad,  inclosed  on  the  north  by  the  dark-red 
porphyry  rocks  of  the  Mountain  of  Thirst,  and  on  the  south  by 
a  smaller  group  of  similar  formation.  It  is  crossed  in  two 
places  by  broad  strata  of  red  granite.  As  water  can  readily 
be  -obtained  in  any  part  of  it  by  digging,  the  wThole  of  it  is 
capable  of  cultivation. 

Leaving  our  halting  place,  we  journeyed  westward  through 
a  gate  of  the  mountains  into  a  broader  valley,  where  numerous 
herds  of  sheep  were  feeding.  I  saw  but  few  Arabs,  and  those 
were  mostly  children,  who  had  charge  of  the  herds.  The 
tribe  resides  principally  in  the  mountains,  on  account  of  great- 
er security  against  the  attacks  of  enemies.  The  afternoon  was 
hot  like  all  preceding  ones,  and  my  Arabs  drank  immense 
quantities  of  water.  We  kept  on  our  course  until  five  o'clock, 
when  we  encamped  opposite  a  broad  valley,  which  broke  into 
the  mountains  at  right  angles  to  their  course.  It  was  a  wild 
spot,  and  the  landscape,  barren  as  it  was,  possessed  much 
natural  beauty.  During  the  afternoon  we  left  the  high  road  to 
Ambukol,  and  took  a  branch  track  leading  to  Merawe,  which 
lay  more  to  the  northward. 

The  next  morning,  after  skirting  the  porphyry  range  for 


DESERT    INTOXICATION,  415 

several  hours,  we  entered  a  narrow  valley  leading  into  its 
depths.  The  way  was  stony  and  rough,  and  we  travelled  for 
three  hours,  constantly  ascending,  up  the  dry  bed  of  a  summer 
stream.  The  mountains  rose  a  thousand  feet  above  us  in 
some  places.  Near  the  entrance  of  the  valley,  we  passed  an 
Arab  watering  a  large  flock  of  sheep  at  a  pool  of  green  water 
which  lay  in  a  hollow  of  the  rocks.  After  ascending  the  pass 
for  nearly  four  hours,  we  crossed  the  summit  ridge  and  enter- 
ed on  a  high  table-land,  eight  or  ten  miles  in  length  and 
entirely  surrounded  by  branches  of  the  mountain  chain.  The 
plain  was  thinly  covered  with  grass,  mimosas  and  nebbuk, 
among  which  a  single  camel  was  browsing.  At  night  we 
reached  the  opposite  side,  and  encamped  at  the  foot  of  a  lofty 
black  spur  of  the  mountains,  not  far  from  a  well  which  Moham- 
med called  Bir  Abou-Seray. 

During  the  night  I  was  troubled  with  a  heavy  feeling  in 
the  head,  and  found  it  almost  impossible  to  sleep.  I  arose 
with  a  sensation  of  giddiness,  which  continued  all  day.  At 
times  I  found  it  very  difficult  to  maintain  my  seat  on  the 
dromedary.  It  required  a  great  effort  to  keep  my  eyes  open, 
as  the  sunshine  increased  the  symptoms.  This  condition 
affected  my  mind  in  a  singular  manner.  Past  scenes  in  my 
life  revived,  with  so  strong  an  impression  of  reality,  that  I  no 
longer  knew  where  I  was.  The  hot,  yellow  landscape  around 
me,  was  a  dream  ;  the  cries  of  my  camel-drivers  were  fantastic 
pounds  which  my  imagination  had  conjured  up.  After  a  most 
bewildering  and  fatiguing  day,  I  drank  several  cups  of  strong 
tea,  rolled  myself  in  a  thick  cotton  quilt,  and  sweat  to  distrac- 
tion until  morning.  The  moisture  I  lost  relieved  my  head,  as 
a  shower  clears  a  sultry  sky,  and  the  symptoms  gradually  left 


416  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

me.  Whether  they  were  caused  by  breathing  a  more  rarefied 
atmosphere, — for  the  plain  was  nearly  fifteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  Nile  level — in  a  heat  more  than  usually  intense,  or 
by  an  attack  of  that  malady  which  Richardson  aptly  calls  the 
"  intoxication  of  the  Desert,"  I  cannot  decide. 

After  leaving  Bir  Abou-Scray,  we  continued  our  slow  de- 
scent of  the  northern  side  of  the  mountain  range,  by  a  wind- 
ing valley,  following  the  dry  bed  of  a  summer  river.  The 
mountains  were  a  thousand  feet  high  and  linked  in  regular 
ranges,  which  had  a  general  north-east  and  south-west  direc- 
tion. The  landscapes  of  the  day  were  all  exceedingly  wild 
and  picturesque.  The  vegetation  was  abundant  along  the 
banks  of  the  river-bed,  the  doum-palm  appearing  occasionally 
among  the  groves  of  thorn  and  nebbuk.  In  some  places  the 
river  had  washed  the  bases  of  the  mountains  and  laid  bare 
their  huge  strata  of  rock,  whose  round  black  masses  glittered 
in  the  sunshine,  showing  the  gradual  polish  of  the  waves. 
Towards  noon  the  pass  enlarged  into  a  broad  plain,  six  miles 
in  diameter,  and  entirely  bounded  by  mountains.  To  the  north- 
east it  opened  into  another  and  larger  plain,  across  whose  blue 
surface  rose  the  pyramidal  peaks  of  a  higher  mountain  chain 
than  I  had  yet  seen.  Some  of  them  were  upwards  of  two 
thousand  feet  in  height.  The  scenery  here  was  truly  grand 
and  imposing.  Beyond  the  plain  we  passed  into  a  broader 
valley,  girdled  by  lower  hills.  The  river-bed,  which  we  crossed 
from  time  to  time,  increased  in  breadth  and  showed  a  nioro 
dense  vegetation  on  its  banks.  We  expected  to  have  reached 
another  well,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  it  at  sunset,  and  as  I 
had  already  found  that  my  guide,  Mohammed,  knew  nothing 
of  the  road,  I  encamped  at  once. 


A    BARBARIC    SCENE.  417 

We  arose  by  daybreak,  hoping  to  reach  the  Nile.  After 
somewhat  more  than  two  hours'  journey,  we  met  a  caravan  of 
about  three  hundred  camels,  laden  with  bales  of  cotton  drill- 
ings, for  the  clothing  of  the  new  regiments  of  soldiers  then 
being  raised  in  Soudan.  The  foremost  camels  were  a  mile 
from  Bir  Khannik,  while  the  hindmost  were  still  drinking  at 
the  well.  The  caravan  had  Kababish  drivers  and  guides — 
wild,  long-haired,  half-naked  x\rabs,  with  spears  in  their  hands 
and  shields  of  hippopotamus  hide  on  their  shoulders.  They 
told  us  we  were  still  a  day  and  a  half  from  Merawe.  We  rode 
on  to  the  well,  which  was  an  immense  pit,  dug  in  the  open 
plain.  It  was  about  fifty  feet  deep,  and  the  Arabs  were  oblig- 
ed to  draw  the  water  in  skins  let  down  with  ropes.  The  top 
curved  into  the  well  like  a  shallow  bowl,  from  the  earth  con- 
tinually crumbling  down,  and  the  mouth  of  the  shaft  was  pro- 
tected by  trunks  of  trees,  on  which  the  men  stood  while  they 
drew  the  water.  Around  the  top  were  shallow  basins  lined  with 
clay,  out  of  which  the  camels  drank.  The  fierce  Kababish 
were  shouting  and  gesticulating  on  all  sides  as  we  rode  up — 
some  leading  the  camels  to  kneel  and  drink,  some  holding  the 
water-skins,  and  others  brandishing  their  spears  and  swords  in 
angry  contention.  Under  the  hot  sun,  on  the  sandy  plain,  it 
was  a  picture  truly  mid- African  in  all  its  features.  The  water 
had  an  insipid,  brackish  taste,  and  I  was  very  glad  that  I  had 
prevented  my  Arabs  from  drinking  all  we  had  brought  from 
the  porphyry  fountain  of  Djeekdud  We  watered  our  camels, 
however,  which  detained  us  long  enough  to  see  a  fight  be- 
tween two  of  the  Kababish  guides.  There  were  so  many 
persons  to  interfere  that  neither  could  injure  the  other,  but 
the  whole  group  of  actors  and  sympathizers  struggling  on 
18* 


418  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

the  brink  of  the  well,  came  near  being  precipitated  to  the 
bottom. 

Our  road  now  turned  to  the  north,  through  a  gap  in  the 
low  hills  and  over  a  tract  of  burnt,  barren,  rolling  wastes  of 
white  sand  and  gravel  Towards  evening  we  came  again  to 
the  river-bed,  here  broad  and  shallow.  This  part  of  the  Desert 
is  inhabited  by  the  Saurat  and  Iluni  tribes,  and  we  saw  large 
herds  of  sheep  and  goats  wherever  the  haifeh  grass  abounded. 
At  sunset  there  were  no  signs  of  the  Nile,  so  I  had  the  tent 
pitched  in  the  middle  of  the  dry  river-channel.  In  front  of 
us,  on  a  low  mound,  the  red  walls  of  a  ruined  building  shone 
in  the  last  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  next  day — the  eighth  since  leaving  El  Metemma — was 
intensely  hot  and  sultry,  without  a  breath  of  air  stirring. 
While  walking  towards  the  ruins,  I  came  upon  two  herds  of 
gazelles,  so  tame  that  I  approached  within  thirty  yards,  and 
could  plainly  see  the  expression  of  surprise  and  curiosity  in 
their  dark  eyes.  When  I  came  too  near,  they  would  bleat  like 
lambs,  bound  away  a  little  distance  and  then  stop  again.  The 
building,  which  stood  on  the  stony  slope  of  a  hill,  was  sur- 
rounded with  loose  walls,  in  a  dilapidated  condition.  The 
foundation,  rising  about  six  feet  above  the  earth,  is  stone, 
above  which  the  walls  are  of  brick,  covered  with  a  thin  coating 
of  cement.  The  building  is  about  eighty  feet  in  length  by 
forty  in  breadth,  but  the  walls  which  remain  are  not  more  than 
twenty  feet  high.  It  is  believed  to  have  been  an  ancient  Cop- 
tic monastery,  and  probably  dates  from  the  earlier  ages  of 
Christianity.  The  ruins  of  other  houses,  built  of  loose  stones, 
surround  the  principal  edifice,  which  was  undoubtedly  a  church, 
and  the  ground  around  is  strewn  with  fragments  of  burnt  bi  ick 


DISTANT    VIEW    OF    THE    NILE.  410 

and  pottery.  There  is  a  churchyard  near  at  hand,  with 
tombstones  which  contain  inscriptions  both  in  Greek  and 
Coptic. 

We  rode  slowly  down  the  broad  river-bed,  which  gradually 
widened,  and  after  two  or  three  hours  saw  far  in  advance  a  line 
of  red,  glowing  sand-hills,  which  I  knew  could  not  be  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  Nile.  Still  we  went  on,  under  the  clear, 
hot  sky,  the  valley  widening  into  a  plain  the  while,  and  I 
sought  anxiously  for  some  sign  that  the  weary  Desert  was 
crossed.  Finally,  I  saw,  above  the  endless  clusters  of  thorns, 
a  line  of  darker,  richer  green,  far  away  in  the  burning  distance, 
and  knew  it  to  be  a  grove  of  date-palms — the  glorious  signal 
of  the  Nile.  This  put  new  life  into  me,  and  thenceforth  I  felt 
the  scorching  heat  no  longer.  To  the  north,  beyond  the 
palms,  appeared  an  isolated  mountain  of  singular  form — the 
summit  being  flat  and  the  sides  almost  perpendicular.  It  must 
be  Djebel  Berkel,  I  thought,  and  I  told  Mohammed  so,  but  he 
said  it  was  not.  Just  then,  I  saw  an  Arab  herdsman  among 
the  thorns  and  called  out  to  him  to  know  the  name  of  the 
mountain.  "  Djebel  Berkel,"  said  he.  He  then  accosted  Mo- 
hammed :  "Where  are  you  going?"  "  To  Merawe."  "Are 
you  the  guide  ?  "  he  again  inquired,  bursting  into  a  loud  laugh. 
"  You  are  a  fine  guide ;  there  is  Merawe  ! "  pointing  in  a  di- 
rection very  different  from  that  we  were  going.  This  complet- 
ed the  old  fellow's  discomfiture.  We  were  still  five  or  six 
miles  distant  from  the  river  and  took  a  random  path  over  the 
plain,  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  herdsman.  The  palms 
rose  higher  and  showed  a  richer  foliage ;  mud  walls  appeared 
in  their  shade,  and  a  tall  minaret  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
river  pointed  out  the  location  of  the  town.     I  rode  down  out 


420  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

of  the  drear,  hot  sand— the  sea  where  I  had  been  drifting  for 
seven  wearisome  days— to  the  little  village  of  Abdom,  embow- 
ered in  a  paradise  of  green  ;  palms  above,  dazzling  wheat-fields, 
dark  cotton-fields  and  blossoming  beans  below.  A  blessed 
resting-place  ! 


OUR    WHEREABOUTS. 


421 


*?   -== 


Shekh  Abd  c'-Djebal. 


CHAPTER     XXXIII. 


THREE       DAY 


AT       NAPATA 


Our  whereabouts— Shekh  Mohammed  Abd  e'-Djebal — My  residence  at  Abdom — Cross- 
ing the  River— A  Superb  Landscape— The  Town  of  Merawe— Ride  to  Djebel  Berkel 
— The  Temples  of  Napata — Ascent  of  the  Mountain — Ethiopian  Panorama — Lost 
and  Found — The  Pyramids— The  Governor  of  Merawe — A  Scene  in  the  Divan — 
The  Shekh  and  I— The  Governor  Dines  with  me— Ruins  of  the  City  of  Napata— 
A  Talk  about  Religions— Engaging  Camels  for  Wadi-IIalfa— The  Shekb's  Parting 
Blessing. 

"Under  the  palm-trees  by  the  river's  side." — Keats. 


Abdom,  the  friendly  haven  into  which  I  had  drifted  after  an 
eight  days'  voyage  in  the  fiery  sea  of  the  Desert,  is  a  village 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  which,  after  passing  Abou- 
Hammed,  flows  to  the  south-west  and  south  untill  it  reaches 


422  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  frontier  of  Dongola.  On  the  opposite  bank  is  Merawe,  the 
former  capital  of  Dar  Shygheea,  which  must  not  be  confounded 
with  the  ancient  Meroe,  the  ruins  of  which,  near  Shondy,  I 
have  already  described.  True,  the  identity  of  the  names  at 
first  deceived  antiquarians,  who  supposed  the  temples  and  pyra- 
mids in  this  neighborhood  to  have  belonged  to  the  capital  of 
the  old  Hierarchy  of  Meroe  ;  but  it  is  now  satisfactorily  estab- 
lished that  they  mark  the  site  of  Napata,  the  capital  of  Ethio- 
pia up  to  the  time  of  the  Caesars.  It  was  the  limit  of  the  cele- 
brated expedition  of  the  Roman  soldiers,  under  Petronius. 
Djebel  Berkel,  at  whose  base  the  principal  remains  are  found, 
is  in  lat.  18°  35y,  or  thereabouts. 

I  was  welcomed  to  Abdom  by  the  Shekh  or  holy  man  of 
the  place,  who  met  me  on  the  verge  of  the  Desert,  and  con- 
ducted me  to  the  best  of  his  two  houses.  Shekh  Mohammed, 
Abd  e'-Djebal  (Mohammed,  the  Slave  of  the  Mountains),  was  a 
dignified  old  man  of  sixty,  with  a  gray  beard  and  brown  com- 
plexion, and  was  the  owner  of  a  water-mill,  several  fields  of 
wheat  and  cotton,  and  an  abundance  of  palm-trees.  He  had 
two  wives,  each  of  whom,  with  her  family,  occupied  a  separate 
house — a  great  mark  of  discretion  on  the  part  of  Mohammed. 
Domestic  quiet  was  thus  secured  to  him,  while  he  possessed 
that  in  which  the  Arab  most  glories  and  rejoices — a  numerous 
family  of  children.  His  youngest  wife,  a  woman  of  thirty, 
immediately  vacated  the  house  on  my  arrival,  and  took  up  her 
temporary  residence  in  a  tent  of  palm-matting,  with  her  four 
children.  The  dwelling  into  which  I  was  ushered  was  a 
square  structure  of  clay,  one  story  high,  with  one  door  and  no 
windows.  It  had  a  flat  roof  of  palm  logs,  covered  with  thatch, 
and  the  inside  walls  were  hung  with  large  mats,  plaited  with 


MY    RESIDENCE    AT    ABDOM.  423 

brilliantly-colored  palm  blades.  Fancy  vessels  of  baked  clay, 
baskets,  ostrich  eggs,  and  other  ornaments  were  suspended 
from  the  roof  in  slings  of  palm  fibre,  and  a  very  large  white 
mat  covered  half  the  floor.  Here  my  bed  was  laid,  and  my 
camp-stool,  placed  in  front  of  it,  formed  a  table.  The  Shekh, 
who  was  with  me  nearly  all  the  time  of  my  stay,  sat  on  the 
floor  in  front  of  me,  and  never  entered  or  departed  from  the 
house,  without  saying  " BismilWii"  ("in  the  name  of  Grod"), 
as  he  crossed  the  threshold.  Outside  of  the  door  was  a  broad 
divan,  running  along  the  north  side  of  the  house.  It  therefore 
pointed  towards  Mecca  and  was  a  most  agreeable  praying-place 
for  the  holy  man.  On  my  arrival,  after  first  having  taken  a 
bath  in  the  Nile,  I  sat  there  the  rest  of  the  day,  tasting  the 
luxury  of  coolness  and  shade,  and  steeping  my  eyes  in  the  balm 
of  refreshing  colors.  A  clump  of  some  twenty  date-trees  grew 
in  front  of  the  door,  throwing  over  us  a  gorgeous  canopy  of 
leaves.  Fields  of  wheat  in  head,  waist-deep,  surrounded  the 
house,  insulating  it  in  a  sea  of  greenness,  over  which  I  saw  the 
hills  of  the  Desert,  no  longer  terrible,  but  soft  and  fair  and 
far  as  clouds  smouldering  in  the  roseate  fires  of  an  Eastern 
sunrise. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  the  Shekh  and  his  sons  and 
their  asses  were  in  readiness  to  accompany  me  to  Djebel  Berkel. 
We  walked  down  between  the  Shekh's  gardens  to  the  Nile, 
where  the  ferry-boat  was  waiting  to  convey  us  across.  I  was 
enchanted  with  the  picture  which  the  shores  presented.  The 
air  was  filled  with  a  light,  silvery  vapor  (a  characteristic  of 
sultry  weather  in  Africa),  softening  the  deep,  rich  color  of  the 
landscape.  The  eastern  bank  was  one  bower  of  palms,  stand- 
ing motionless,  in  perfect  groups,  above  the  long,  sloping  banks 


424  JOURNEY"    TC    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

of  beans  in  blossom.  Such  grace  and  glory,  such  siltnce  and 
repose,  I  thought  I  had  never  before  seen  in  the  vegetable 
world.  Opposite,  the  ruined  palaces  of  the  old  Shygheean 
Kings  and  the  mud  and  stone  hovels  of  modern  Merawe  rose 
in  picturesque  piles  above  the  river  bank  and  below  the  red 
sandstone  bluffs  of  the  Nubian  Desert,  which  overhung  them 
and  poured  the  sand  through  deep  rents  and  fissures  upon  their 
very  roofs.  The  mosque,  with  a  tall,  circular  minaret,  stood 
embowered  in  a  garden  of  date-palms,  under  one  of  the  highest 
bluffs.  Up  the  river,  which  stretched  glittering  into  the  dis- 
tance, the  forest  of  trees  shut  out  the  view  of  the  Desert,  ex- 
cept Djebel  Berkel,  which  stood  high  and  grand  above  them, 
the  morning  painting  its  surface  with  red  lights  and  purple 
shadows.  Over  the  misty  horizon  of  the  river  rose  a  single 
conical  peak,  far  away.  The  sky  was  a  pale,  sleepy  blue,  and 
all  that  I  saw  seemed  beautiful  dream-pictures — every  where 
grace,  beauty,  splendor  of  coloring,  steeped  in  Elysian  repose. 
It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  glory  of  that  passage  across  the 
river.     It  paid  me  for  all  the  hardships  of  the  Desert. 

When  we  touched  the  other  shore  and  mounted  the  little 
donkeys  we  had  taken  across  with  us,  the  ideal  character  of 
the  scene  disappeared,  but  left  a  reality  picturesque  and  poetic 
enough.  The  beasts  were  without  bridles,  and  were  only  fur- 
nished with  small  wooden  saddles,  without  girths  or  stirrups. 
One  was  obliged  to  keep  his  poise,  and  leave  the  rest  to  the 
donkey,  who,  however,  suffered  himself  to  be  guided  by  strik- 
ing the  side  of  his  neck.  We  rode  under  a  cluster  of  ruined 
stone  buildings,  one  of  which  occupied  considerable  space,  ris- 
ing pylon-like,  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet.  The  Shekh  in- 
formed me  that  it  had  been  the  palace  of  a  Shygheean  king,  be- 


THE    SCENERY    OF    MERAWE.  425 

fore  the  Turks  got  possession  of  the  country.  It  was  wholly 
dilapidated,  but  a  few  Arab  families  were  living  in  the  stone 
dwellings  which  surround  it.  These  clusters  of  shattered 
buildings  extend  for  more  than  a  mile  along  the  river,  and  are 
all  now  known  as  Merawc.  Our  road  led  between  fields  of 
ripening  wheat,  rolling  in  green  billows  before  the  breeze,  on 
one  side,  and  on  the  other,  not  more  than  three  yards  distant, 
the  naked  sandstone  walls  of  the  Desert,  where  a  blade  of  grass 
never  grew.  Over  the  wheat,  along  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  rose 
a  long  forest  of  palms,  so  thickly  ranged  that  the  eye  could 
scarcely  penetrate  their  dense,  cool  shade  ;  while  on  the  other 
hand  the  glaring  sand-hills  showed  their  burning  shoulders 
above  the  bluffs.  It  was  a  most  violent  contrast,  and  yet, 
withal,  there  was  a  certain  harmony  in  these  opposite  features. 
A  remarkably  fat  man,  riding  on  a  donkey,  met  us.  The 
Shekh  compared  him  to  a  hippopotamus,  and  said  that  his  fat 
came  from  eating  mutton  and  drinking  om  hilbil  day  and  night 
At  the  end  of  the  town  we  came  to  a  sort  of  guard  house, 
shaded  by  two  sycamores.  A  single  soldier  was  in  attendance, 
and  apparently  tired  of  having  nothing  to  do,  as  he  immediate- 
ly caught  his  donkey  and  rode  with  us  to  Djebel  Berkel. 

We  now  approached  the  mountain,  which  is  between  three 
and  four  miles  from  the  town.  It  rises  from  out  the  sands  of 
the  Nubian  Desert,  to  the  height  of  five  hundred  feet,  present- 
ing a  front  completely  perpendicular  towards  the  river.  It  is 
inaccessible  on  all  sides  except  the  north,  which  in  one  place 
has  an  inclination  of  45°.  Its  scarred  and  shattered  walls  of 
Daked  staudstone  stand  up  stern  and  sublime  in  the  midst  of 
the  hot  and  languid  landscape.  As  we  approached,  a  group  of 
pyramids  appeared  on  the  brow  of  a  sand-hill  to  the  left,  and  1 


426  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRA!     AFRICA. 

discerned  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  several  isolated  pillars, 
the  stone-piles  of  ruined  pylons,  and  other  remains  of  temples. 
The  first  we  reached  was  at  the  south-eastern  corner  of  the 
mountain.  Amid  heaps  of  sandstone  blocks  and  disjointed 
segments  of  pillars,  five  columns  of  an  exceedingly  old  form 
still  point  out  the  court  of  a  temple,  whose  adyta  are  hewn 
within  in  the  mountain.  They  are  not  more  than  ten  feet 
high  and  three  in  diameter,  circular,  and  without  capital  or 
abacus,  unless  a  larger  block,  rudely  sculptured  with  the  out- 
lines of  a  Typhon-head,  may  be  considered  as  such.  The 
doorway  is  hurled  down  and  defaced,  but  the  cartouches  of 
kings  may  still  be  traced  on  the  fragments.  There  are  three 
chambers  in  the  rock,  the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with 
sculptures,  for  the  most  part  representing  the  Egyptian  divini- 
ties. The  temple  was  probably  dedicated  to  Typhon,  or  the 
Evil  Principle,  as  one  of  the  columns  is  still  faced  with  a 
caryatid  of  the  short,  plump,  big-mouthed  and  bat-eared  figure, 
which  elsewhere  represents  him.  Over  the  entrance  is  the 
sacred  winged  globe,  and  the  ceiling  shows  the  marks  of  bril- 
liant coloring.  The  temple  is  not  remarkable  for  its  architec- 
ture, and  can  only  be  interesting  in  an  antiquarian  point  of 
view.  It  bears  some  resemblance  in  its  general  style  to  the 
Temple-palace  of  Goorneh,  at  Thebes. 

The  eastern  base  of  the  mountain,  which  fronts  the  Nile, 
is  strewn  with  hewn  blocks,  fragments  of  capitals,  immense 
masses  of  dark  bluish-gray  granite,  and  other  remains,  which 
prove  that  a  large  and  magnificent  temple  once  stood  there, 
The  excavations  made  by  Lepsius  and  others  have  uncovered 
the  substructions  sufficiently  to  show  the  general  plan  of  two 
buildings.     The  main  temple  was  at  the  northeastern  corner 


CLIMBING    DJEBEL    BERKEL.  427 

of  the  mountain,  under  tlie  highest  point  of  its  perpendicular 
crags.  The  remains  of  its  small  propylons  stand  in  advance, 
about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  rock,  going  towards  which, 
you  climb  the  mound  formed  by  the  ruins  of  a  large  pylon,  at 
the  foot  of  which  are  two  colossal  ram-headed  sphinxes  of  blue 
granite,  buried  to  their  necks  in  the  sand.  Beyond  this  is  a 
portico  and  pillared  court,  followed  by  other  courts  and  laby- 
rinths of  chambers.  Several  large  blocks  of  granite,  all  more 
or  less  broken  and  defaced,  lie  on  the  surface  or  half  quarried 
from  the  rubbish.  They  are  very  finely  polished  and  contain 
figures  of  kings,  evidently  arranged  in  genealogical  order,  each 
accompanied  with  his  name.  The  shekh  had  a  great  deal  to 
tell  me  of  the  Franks,  who  dug  up  all  the  place,  and  set  the 
people  to  work  at  hauling  away  the  lions  and  rams,  which  they 
carried  off  in  ships.  I  looked  in  vain  for  the  celebrated  pedes- 
tal ;  it  has  probably  become  the  spoil  of  Lepsius. 

While  taking  a  sketch  of  the  mountain  from  the  eastern 
Bide,  I  found  the  heat  almost  insupportable.  The  shekh  look- 
ed over  my  shoulder  all  the  time,  and  at  the  end  pronounced 
it  temam — "perfect."  I  then  proposed  climbing  the  moun- 
tain, as  he  had  said  one  could  see  the  whole  world  from  the 
top.  He  was  bound  to  go  with  me  wherever  I  went,  but  shrank 
from  climbing  El  Berkel.  It  would  require  two  hours,  he 
said,  to  go  up.  After  eating  a  slice  of  watermelon  in  the 
shade  of  one  of  the  pillars,  I  took  off  my  jacket  and  started 
alone,  and  very  soon  he  was  at  my  side,  panting  and  sweating 
with  the  exertion.  We  began  at  the  point  most  easy  of  ascent 
yet  found  it  toilsome  enough.  After'  passing  the  loose  frag- 
ments which  lie  scattered  around  the  base,  we  came  upon  a 
steep  slope  of  sliding  sand  and  stones,  blown  from  the  desert. 


428  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

We  sank  in  this  nearly  to  the  knees,  and  slid  backward  at  eacli 
step  at  least  half  as  far  as  we  had  stepped  forward.  We  were 
obliged  to  rest  every  three  or  four  steps,  and  take  breath, 
moistening  the  sand  meanwhile  with  a  rain  of  sweat-drops. 
"  Surely  there  is  no  other  mountain  in  the  world  so  high  as 
this,"  said  the  shekh,  and  I  was  ready  to  agree  with  him.  At 
last  we  reached  the  top,  a  nearly  level  space  of  about  ten  acres. 
There  was  a  pleasant  breeze  here,  but  the  Ethiopian  world 
below  was  dozing  in  an  atmosphere  of  blue  heat.  There  was 
too  much  vapor  in  the  air  to  see  the  farthest  objects  distinctly, 
and  the  pyramids  of  Noori,  further  up  the  river,  on  its  eastern 
bank,  were  not  visible.  The  Nile  lay  curved  in  the  middle  of 
the  picture  like  a  flood  of  molten  glass,  on  either  side  its 
palmy  "  knots  of  paradise,"  then  the  wheat  fields,  lying  like 
slabs  of  emerald  against  the  tawny  sands,  that  rolled  in  hot 
drifts  and  waves  and  long;  rid»y  swells  to  the  horizon  north  and 
south,  broken  Jwre  and  there  by  the  jagged  porphyry  peaks. 
Before  me,  to  the  south-east,  were  the  rugged  hills  of  the 
JBeyooda ;  behind  me,  to  the  north  and  west,  the  burning  wil- 
derness of  the  Great  Nubian  Desert. 

As  I  sought  for  my  glass,  to  see  the  view  more  distinctly, 
I  became  aware  that  I  had  lost  my  pocket-book  on  the  way  up. 
As  it  contained  sonic  money  and  all  my  keys,  I  was  not  a 
little  troubled,  and  mentioned  my  loss  to  Shekh  Mohammed. 
We  immediately  returned  in  search  of  it,  sliding  down  the 
sand  and  feeling  writh  our  hands  and  feet  therein.  We  had 
made  more  than  half  the  descent,  and  I  began  to  consider  the 
search  hopeless,  when  the  shekh,  who  was  a  little  in  advance, 
cried  out :  "  0  Sidi !  God  be  praised  !  God  be  praised ! "  He 
saw  the  corner  sticking  out  of  the  sand,  took  it  up,  kissed  it, 


THE    PYRAMIDS.  429 

and  laid  it  on  one  eye,  while  he  knelt  with  his  old  head  turned 
up,  that  I  might  take  it  off.  I  tied  it  securely  in  a  corner  of  my 
shawl  and  we  slid  to  the  bottom,  where  we  found  Achmefc  and 
the  young  shekhs  in  the  shade  of  a  huge  projecting  cliff,  with 
breakfast  spread  out  on  the  sand. 

It  was  now  noon,  and  only  the  pyramids  remained  to  be 
seen  on  that  side  of  the  river.  The  main  group  is  about  a 
third  of  a  mile  from  the  mountain,  on  the  ridge  of  a  sand-hill. 
There  are  six  pyramids,  nearly  entire,  and  the  foundations  of 
others.  They  are  almost  precisely  similar  to  those  of  the  real 
Meroe,  each  having  a  small  exterior  chamber  on  the  eastern 
side.  Like  the  latter,  they  are  built  of  sandstone  blocks,  only 
filled  at  the  corners,  which  are  covered  with  a  hem  or  mould- 
ing; the  sides  of  two  of  them  are  convex.  On  all  of  them  the 
last  eight  or  ten  courses  next  the  top  have  been  smoothed  to 
follow  the  slope  of  the  side.  It  was  no  doubt  intended  to 
fiuish  them  all  in  this  manner.  One  of  them  has  also  the  cor- 
ner moulding  rounded,  so  as  to  form  a  scroll,  like  that  on  the 
cornice  of  many  of  the  Egyptian  temples.  They  are  not  more 
than  fifty  feet  in  height,  with  very  narrow  bases.  One  of 
them,  indeed,  seems  to  be  the  connecting  link  between  the 
pyramid  and  the  obelisk.  Nearer  the  river  is  an  older  pyra- 
mid, though  no  regular  courses  of  stone  are  to  be  seen  any 
longer.  These  sepulchral  remains,  however,  are  much  inferior 
to  those  of  Meroe. 

The  oldest  names  found  at  Napata  are  those  of  Amenoph 
III.  and  Remeses  II.  (1630  B.  C.  and  1400  B.  C.)  both  of 
whom  subjected  Nubia  to  their  rule.  The  remains  of  Ethi- 
opian art,  however,  go  no  further  than  King  Tirkaka,  730  B. 
C. — the  Ethiopian  monarch,  who,  in  the  time  of  Hezekiah, 


430  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

marched  into  Palestine  to  meet  Sennacherib,  King  of  Assyria. 
Napata,  therefore,  occupies  an  intermediate  place  in  history 
between  Thebes  and  Meroe,  showing  the  gradual  southward 
progress  of  Egyptian  art  and  civilization.  It  is  a  curious  fact 
that  the  old  religion  of  Egypt  should  have  been  here  met  face 
to  face,  and  overthrown,  by  Christianity,  which,  starting  in  the 
mountains  of  Abyssinia,  followed  the  course  of  the  Nile  north- 
ward. In  the  sixth  century  of  our  era,  Ethiopia  and  Nubia 
were  converted  to  Christianity  and  remained  thus  until  the 
fourteenth  century,  when  they  fell  beneath  the  sword  of  Islam. 

We  rode  back  to  the  town  on  our  uneasy  donkey  saddles. 
As  I  wanted  small  money,  the  shekh  proposed  my  calling  on 
Achmedar  Kashif,  the  Governor  of  Merawe  and  Ambukol,  and 
asking  him  to  change  me  some  medjids.  We  accordingly  rode 
under  the  imposing  stone  piles  of  the  old  kings  to  the  residence 
of  the  Kashif,  a  two-story  mud  house  with  a  portico  in  front, 
covered  with  matting.  It  was  the  day  for  the  people  of  the 
neighborhood  to  pay  their  tulbeh,  or  tax,  and  some  of  his 
officers  were  seated  on  the  ground  in  the  shade,  settling  this 
business  with  a  crowd  of  Arabs.  I  went  up  stairs  to  the 
divan,  and  found  the  Kashif  rolling  himself  in  his  shawl  for 
dinner,  which  his  slaves  had  just  brought  up.  He  received 
me  cordially,  and  I  took  my  seat  beside  him  on  the  floor  and 
dipped  my  fingers  into  the  various  dishes.  There  was  a  pan 
of  baked  fish,  which  was  excellent,  after  which  came  a  tray  of 
scarlet  watermelon  slices,  coffee,  pipes,  and  lastly  a  cup  of  hot 
sugar  syrup.  He  readily  promised  to  change  me  the  money, 
and  afterwards  accepted  my  invitation  to  dinner. 

I  stayed  an  hour  longer,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  witness- 
ing some  remarkable  scenes.     A  woman  came  in  to  complain 


A    SCENE    IN    THE    DIVAN.  431 

of  her  husband,  who  had  married  another  woman,  leaving  her 
with  one  child.  She  had  a  cow  of  her  own.  which  he  had 
forcibly  taken  and  given  to  his  new  wife.  The  Kashif  listen 
cd  to  her  story,  and  then  detaching  his  seal  from  his  button- 
hole, gave  it  to  an  attendant,  as  a  summons  which  the  delin- 
quent dare  not  disobey.  A  company  of  men  afterwards  came 
to  adjust  some  dispute  about  a  water-mill.  They  spoke  so  fast 
and  in  such  a  violent  and  excited  manner,  that  I  could  not 
comprehend  the  nature  of  the  quarrel;  but  the  group  they 
made  was  most  remarkable.  They  leaned  forward  with  flash- 
ing teeth  and  eyes,  holding  the  folds  of  their  long  mantles  with 
one  hand,  while  they  dashed  and  hurled  the  other  in  the  air, 
in  the  violence  of  their  contention.  One  would  suppose  that 
they  must  all  perish  the  next  instant  by  spontaneous  combus- 
tion. The  Kashif  was  calmness  itself  all  the  while,  and  after 
getting  the  particulars — a  feat  which  I  considered  marvellous — 
quietly  gave  his  decision.  Some  of  the  party  protested  against 
it,  whereupon  he  listened  attentively,  but,  finding  no  reason  to 
change  his  judgment,  repeated  it.  Still  the  Arabs  screamed 
and  gesticulated.  He  ejaculated  imshee  !  ("  get  away  I1')  in  a 
thundering  tone,  dealt  the  nearest  ones  a  vigorous  blow  with 
his  fist,  and  speedily  cleared  the  divan.  The  Kashif  offered 
to  engage  camels  and  a  guide  for  New  Dongola,  in  case  I  chose 
to  go  by  the  Nubian  Desert — a  journey  of  three  or  four  days, 
through  a  terrible  waste  of  sand  and  rocks,  without  grass  or 
water.  The  route  being  new,  had  some  attractions,  but  I 
afterwards  decided  to  adhere  to  my  original  plan  of  following 
the  course  of  the  river  to  Ambukol  and  Old  Dongola. 

I  made  preparations  for  giving  the   Kashif  a  handsome 
dinner.     I  had  mutton  and  fowls,  and  Achmet  procured  eggs, 


432  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

milk  and  vegetables,  and  set  his  whole  available  force  to  work. 
Meanwhile  the  shekh  and  I  sat  on  the  divan  outside  the  door, 
and  exchanged  compliments.  He  sold  me  a  sword  from 
Bornou,  which  he  had  purchased  from  an  Arab  merchant  who 
had  worn  it  to  Mecca.  He  told  me  he  considered  me  as  his 
two  eyes,  and  wTould  give  me  one  of  his  sons,  if  I  desired. 
Then  he  rendered  me  an  account  of  his  family,  occasionally 
pointing  out  the  members  thereof,  as  they  passed  to  and  fro 
among  the  palms.  He  asked  me  how  many  children  I  had,  and 
I  was  obliged  to  confess  myself  wholly  his  inferior  in  this 
respect,  "  God  grant,"  said  he,  "  that  when  you  go  back  to 
your  own  country,  you  may  have  many  sons,  just  like  that 
one,"  pointing  to  a  naked  Cupidoh  of  four  years  old,  of  a  rich 
chocolate-brown  color.  "  God  grant  it,"  I  was  obliged  to 
reply,  conformably  to  the  rules  of  Arab  politeness,  but  I  men^ 
tally  gave  the  words  the  significance  of  "God  forbid  it!" 
The  shekh,  who  was  actually  quite  familiar  with  the  ruins  in 
Ethiopia,  and  an  excellent  guide  to  them,  informed  me  that 
they  were  four  thousand  years  old ;  that  the  country  was  at 
that  time  in  possession  of  the  English,  but  afterwards  the 
Arabs  drove  them  out.  This  corresponds  with  an  idea  very 
prevalent  in  Egypt,  that  the  temples  were  built  by  the  fore- 
fathers of  the  Frank  travellers,  who  once  lived  there,  and  that 
is  the  reason  why  the  Franks  make  a  hadj,  or  pilgrimage  to 
see  them.  I  related  to  the  shekh  the  history  of  the  warlike 
Queen  Candace,  wTho  once  lived  there,  in  her  capital  of  Napata, 
aud  he  was  so  much  interested  in  the  story  that  he  wrote  it 
down,  transforming  her  name  into  Kandasiych.  Some  later 
traveller  will  be  surprised  to  find  a  tradition  of  the  aforesaid 
queen,  no  doubt  with  many  grotesque  embellishments,  told  him 
on  the  site  of  her  capital. 


VISIT    FROM    THE    KASHIF.  433 

Dinner  was  ready  at  sunset,  the  appointed  time,  but  the 
Kashif  did  not  come.  I  waited  one  hour,  two  hours ;  still  he 
same  not.  Thereupon  I  invited  Achmet  and  the  shekh,  and 
we  made  an  excellent  dinner  in  Turkish  style.  It  was  just 
over,  and  I  was  stretched  out  without  jacket  or  tarboosh,  en- 
joying my  pipe,  when  we  heard  the  ferrymen  singing  on  the 
river  below,  and  soon  afterwards  the  Kashif  appeared  at  the 
door.  He  apologized,  saying  he  had  been  occupied  in  hia 
divan.  I  had  dinner  served  again,  and  tasted  the  dishes  to 
encourage  him,  but  it  appeared  that  he  had  not  been  able  to 
keep  his  appetite  so  long,  and  had  dined  also.  Still,  he  ate 
enough  to  satisfy  me  that  he  relished  my  dishes,  and  after- 
wards drank  a  sherbet  of  sugar  and  vinegar  with  great  gusto. 
He  had  three  or  four  attendants,  and  with  him  came  a  Berber 
merchant,  who  had  lately  been  in  Khartoum.  I  produced  my 
sketch-book  and  maps,  and  astonished  the  company  for  three 
hours.  I  happened  to  have  a  book  of  Shaksperean  views, 
which  I  had  purchased  in  Stratford-on'-Avon.  The  picture  of 
Shakspere  gave  the  Kashif  and  shekh  great  delight,  and  the 
former  considered  the  hovel  in  which  the  poet  was  born,  "  very 
grand."  The  church  in  Stratford  they  thought  a  marvellous 
building,  and  the  merchant  confessed  that  it  was  greater  than 
Lattif  Pasha's  palace  in  Khartoum,  which  he  had  supposed  to 
be  the  finest  building  in  the  world. 

The  next  morning  the  shekh  proposed  going  with  me  to 
the  remains  of  a  temple,  half  an  hour  distant,  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  river  ;  the  place,  he  said,  where  the  people  found 
the  little  images,  agates  and  scarabei,  which  they  brought  to 
me  in  great  quantities.  After  walking  a  mile  and  a  half  over 
the  sands,  which  have  here  crowded  the  vegetation  to  the  very 
19 


434  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

water's  edge,  we  came  to  a  broad  mound  of  stones,  broken 
bricks  and  pottery,  with  a  foundation  wall  of  heavy  limestone 
blocks,  along  the  western  side.  There  were  traces  of  doors 
and  niches,  and  on  the  summit  of  the  mound  the  pedestals  of 
columns  similar  to  those  of  El  Berkel.  From  this  place  com- 
menced a  waste  of  ruins,  extending  for  nearly  two  miles  to- 
wards the  north-west,  while  the  breadth,  from  east  to  west, 
was  about  equal.  For  the  most  part,  the  buildings  were  en- 
tirely concealed  by  the  sand,  which  was  filled  with  fragments 
of  pottery  and  glass,  and  with  shining  pebbles  of  jasper,  agate 
and  chalcedony.  Half  a  mile  further,  we  struck  on  another 
mound,  of  greater  extent,  though  the  buildings  were  entirely 
level  with  the  earth.  The  foundations  of  pillars  were  abun- 
dant, and  fragments  of  circular  limestone  blocks  lay  crumbling 
to  pieces  in  the  rubbish.  The  most  interesting  object  was  a 
mutilated  figure  of  blue  granite,  of  which  only  a  huge  pair  of 
wings  could  be  recognized.  The  shekh  said  that  all  the  Frank 
travellers  who  came  there  broke  off  a  piece  and  carried  it  away 
with  them.  I  did  not  follow  their  example.  Towards  the 
river  were  many  remains  of  crude  brick  walls,  and  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  pieces  of  excellent  hard-burnt  bricks.  The 
sand  evidently  conceals  many  interesting  objects.  I  saw  in 
one  place,  where  it  had  fallen  in,  the  entrance  to  a  chamber, 
wholly  below  the  surface.  The  Arabs  were  at  work  in  various 
parts  of  the  plain,  digging  up  the  sand,  which  they  filled  in 
baskets  and  carried  away  on  donkeys.  The  shekh  said  it  con- 
tained salt,  and  was  very  good  to  make  wheat  grow,  whence  1 
inferred  that  the  earth  is  nitrous,  We  walked  for  an  hour  or 
two  over  the  ruins,  finding  everywhere  the  evidence  that  a 
large  capital  had  once  stood  on  the  spot.     The  bits  of  water 


WE    COMPARE    RELIGIONS.  435 

jars  which  we  picked  up  were  frequently  painted  and  glazed 
with  much  skill.  The  soil  was  in  many  places  wholly  compos- 
ed of  the  debris  of  the  former  dwellings.  This  was,  without 
doubt,  the  ancient  Napata,  of  which  Djebel  Berkel  was  only 
the  necropolis.  Napata  must  have  been  one  of  the  greatest 
cities  of  Ancient  Africa,  after  Thebes,  Memphis  and  Carthage. 
I  felt  a  peculiar  interest  in  wandering  over  the  site  of  that 
half-forgotten  capital,  whereof  the  ancient  historians  knew  lit- 
tle more  than  we.  That  so  little  is  said  by  them  in  relation  to 
it  is  somewhat  surprising,  notwithstanding  its  distance  from 
the  Roman  frontier. 

In  the  afternoon,  Achmet,  with  great  exertion,  backed  by 
all  the  influence  of  the  Kashif,  succeeded  in  obtaining  ten  pias- 
tres worth  of  bread.  The  latter  sent  me  the  shekh  of  the 
camels,  who  furnished  me  with  three  animals  and  three  men, 
to  Wadi  Haifa,  at  ninety-five  piastres  apiece.  They  were  to 
accompany  my  caravan  to  Ambukol,  on  the  Dongolese  frontier 
where  the  camels  from  Khartoum  were  to  be  discharged.  1 
spent  the  rest  of  the  day  talking  with  the  shekh  on  religious 
matters.  He  gave  me  the  history  of  Christ,  in  return  for 
which  I  related  to  him  that  of  the  Soul  of  Mahomet,  from  one 
hundred  and  ten  thousand  years  before  the  Creation  of  the 
World,  until  his  birth,  according  to  the  Arab  Chronicles 
This  quite  overcame  him.  He  seized  my  hand  and  kissed  it 
with  fervor,  acknowledging  me  as  the  more  holy  man  of  tha 
two.  He  said  he  had  read  the  Books  of  Moses,  the  Psalms  of 
David  and  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  but  liked  David  best,  whose 
words  flowed  like  the  sound  of  the  jzumarra,  or  Arab  flute. 
To  illustrate  it,  he  chanted  one  of  the  Psalms  in  a  series  of  not 
unmusical  cadences.     He  then  undertook  to  repeat  the  ninety- 


436  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

attributes  of  God,  and  thought  he  succeeded,  but  I  noticed 
that  several  of  the  epithets  were  repeated  more  than  once. 

The  north  wind  increased  during  the  afternoon,  and  towards 
night  blew  a  very  gale.  The  sand  came  in  through  the  door 
in  such  quantities  that  I  was  obliged  to  move  my  bed  to  a 
more  sheltered  part  of  my  house.  Numbers  of  huge  black 
beetles,  as  hard  and  heavy  as  grape-shot,  were  dislodged  from 
their  holes  and  dropped  around  me  with  such  loud  raps  that  I 
was  scarcely  able  to  sleep.  The  sky  was  dull  and  dark,  hardly 
a  star  to  be  seen,  and  the  wind  roared  in  the  palms  like  a 
November  gale  let  loose  among  the  boughs  of  a  Northern 
forest.  It  was  a  grand  roar,  drowning  the  sharp  rustle  of  the 
leaves  when  lightly  stirred,  and  rocked  my  fancies  as  glorious- 
ly as  the  pine.  In  another  country  than  Africa,  I  should  have 
predicted  rain,  hail,  equinoctial  storms,  or  something  of  the 
kind,  but  there  I  went  to  sleep  with  a  positive  certainty  of 
sunshine  on  the  morrow. 

I  was  up  at  dawn,  and  had  breakfast  by  sunrise ;  neverthe- 
less, we  were  obliged  to  wait  a  long  while  for  the  camels,  or 
rather  the  pestiferous  Kababish  who  went  after  them.  The 
new  men  and  camels  were  in  readiness,  as  the  camel-shekh 
came  over  the  river  to  see  that  all  was  right.  The  Kashif  sent 
me  a  fine  black  ram,  as  provision  for  the  journey.  Finally, 
towards  eight  o'clock,  every  thing  was  in  order  and  my  cara- 
van began  to  move.  I  felt  real  regret  at  leaving  the  pleasant 
spot,  especially  the  beautiful  bower  of  palms  at  the  door  of  my 
house.  When  my  effects  had  been  taken  out,  the  shekh  called 
his  eldest  son  Saad,  his  wife  Fatima,  and  their  two  young  sons, 
to  make  their  salaams.  They  all  kissed  my  hand,  and  I  then 
gave  the  old  man  and  Saad  my  backsheesh  for  their  services, 


THE    SI1EKHTS    BLESSING.  43*7 

The  shekh  took  the  two  gold  medjids  readily,  without  any 
hypocritical  show  of  reluctance,  and  lifted  my  hand  to  his  lips 
and  forehead.  When  all  was  ready,  he  repeated  the  Fatlia, 
or  opening  paragraph  of  the  Koran,  as  each  camel  rose  from 
its  knees,  in  order  to  secure  the  blessing  of  Allah  upon  our 
journey.  He  then  took  me  in  his  arms,  kissed  both  my  cheeks, 
and  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  stood  showering  pious  phrases  after 
me,  till  I  was  out  of  hearing.  With  no  more  vanity  or  self- 
ishness than  is  natural  to  an  Arab,  Shekh  Mohammed  Abd 
e'-Djebal  had  many  excellent  qualities,  and  there  are  few  of 
my  Central  African  acquaintances  whom  I  would  rather  see 
again. 


4o8  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRTf!  A 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

OLD   DONGOLA   AND   NEW   DONGOLA. 

Appearance  of  the  Country — Korti — The  Town  ofAmbukol — The  Caravan  reorgan- 
ized— A  Fiery  Eide — We  reach  Edabbe — An  Illuminated  Landscape — A  Tormen* 
— Nubian  Agriculture — Old  Dongola — The  Palace-Mosque  of  the  Nubian  Kings — A 
Panorama  of  Desolation — The  Old  City — Nubian  Gratitude — Another  Sand-Storm 
— A  Dreary  Journey — The  Approach  to  Ilandak — A  IIouso  of  Doubtful  Character — 
The  Inmates — Journey  to  El  Ordee  (New  Dongola) — Khoorshid  Bey — Appearance 
of  the  Town. 

I  left  Abdom  on  the  morning  of  February  twentieth.  Our 
road  lay  southward,  along  the  edge  of  the  wheat-fields,  over 
whose  waves  we  saw  the  island-like  groups  of  palms  at  a  little 
distance.  For  several  miles  the  bank  of  the  river  was  covered 
with  a  continuous  string  of  villages.  After  skirting  this  glori 
ous  garden  land  for  two  hours,  we  crossed  a  sandy  tract,  over- 
grown with  the  poisonous  euphorbia,  to  avoid  a  curve  in  the 
river.  During  the  whole  of  the  afternoon,  we  travelled  along 
the  edge  of  the  cultivated  land,  and  sometimes  in  the  midst  of 
it,  obliging  my  camels  to  stumble  clumsily  over  the  raised 
trenches  which  carried  water  from  the  river  to  the  distant  parts 
of  the  fields.  Large,  ruined  forts  of  unburnt  brick,  exceeding- 
ly picturesque  at  a  distance,  stood  at  intervals  between  the 
desert  and  the  harvest-land. 


KORTI    AND    AMBUKOL.  439 

The  next  morning  was  hot  and  sultry,  with  not  a  breath  of 
air  stirring.  I  rose  at  dawn  and  walked  ahead  for  two  hours, 
through  thickets  of  euphorbia  higher  than  my  head,  and  over 
patches  of  strong,  dark-green  grass.  The  salcias  were  groan- 
ing all  along  the  shore,  and  the  people  every  where  at  work  in 
the  fields.  The  wheat  was  in  various  stages  of  growth,  from 
the  first  thick  green  of  the  young  blades  to  the  full  head. 
Barley  was  turning  a  pale  yellow,  and  the  dookhn,  the  heads 
of  which  had  already  been  gathered,  stood  brown  and  dry. 
Djebel  Deeka,  on  my  right,  rose  bold  and  fair  above  the  lines 
of  palms,  and  showed  a  picturesque  glen  winding  in  between 
its  black-purple  peaks.  It  was  a  fine  feature  of  the  landscape, 
which  would  have  been  almost  too  soft  and  lovely  without  it. 

Before  nine  o'clock  we  passed  the  large  town  of  Korti, 
which,  however,  is  rather  a  cluster  of  small  towns,  scattered 
along  between  the  wheat-fields  and  the  river.  Some  of  the 
houses  were  large  and  massive,  and  with  their  blank  walls 
and  block-like  groups,  over  which  the  doum-tree  spread  its 
arch  and  the  date-palm  hung  its  feathery  crown,  made  fine 
African  pictures — admirable  types  of  the  scenery  along  the 
Nubian  Nile.  Beyond  the  town  we  came  upon  a  hot,  dusty 
plain,  sprinkled  with  stunted  euphorbia,  over  which  I  could  see 
the  point  where  the  Nile  turns  westward.  Towards  noon  we 
reached  the  town  of  Ambukol,  which  I  found  to  be  a  large 
agglomeration  of  mud  and  human  beings,  on  the  sand-hills,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  river.  An  extensive  pile  of  mud  in 
the  centre  denoted  a  fortress  or  government  station  of  some 
sort  There  were  a  few  lazy  Arabs  sitting  on  the  ground,  on 
the  shady  side  of  the  walls,  and  some  women  going  back  and 
forth  with  water-jars,  but  otherwise,  for  all  the  life  it  present. 


440  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

ed,  the  place  might  have  been  deserted.  The  people  we  met 
saluted  me  with  much  respect,  and  those  who  were  seated  rose 
and  remained  standing  until  I  had  passed.  I  did  not  enter 
the  town,  but  made  direct  for  a  great  acacia  tree  near  its  west- 
ern end.  The  nine  camels  and  nine  men  of  my  caravan  all 
rested  under  the  shade,  and  there  was  room  for  as  many  more. 
A  number  of  Arabs  looked  on  from  a  distance,  or  hailed  my 
camel-men,  to  satisfy  their  curiosity  regarding  me,  but  no  one 
came  near  or  annoyed  us  in  any  way.  I  took  breakfast  leisure- 
ly on  my  carpet,  drank  half  a  gourd  of  mareesa,  and  had  still 
an  hour  to  wait,  before  the  new  camels  were  laden.  The 
Kababish,  who  had  accompanied  me  from  Khartoum,  wanted  a 
certificate,  so  I  certified  that  Said  was  a  good  camel-man  and 
Mohammed  worthless  as  a  guide.  They  then  drank  a  parting 
jar  of  mareesa,  and  we  went  from  under  the  cool  acacia  into 
the  glare  of  the  fierce  sun.  Our  road  all  the  afternoon  was 
in  the  Desert,  and  we  were  obliged  to  endure  a  most  intense 
and  sultry  heat. 

The  next  day  I  travelled  westward  over  long  alcabas,  or 
reaches  of  the  Desert,  covered  with  clumps  of  thorns,  nebbuk 
and  the  jasmine  tree.  The  long  mountain  on  the  opposite 
bank  was  painted  in  rosy  light  against  the  sky,  as  if  touched 
with  the  beams  of  a  perpetual  sunrise.  My  eyes  always  turn- 
ed to  it  with  a  sense  of  refreshment,  after  the  weary  glare  of 
the  sand.  In  the  morning  there  was  a  brisk  wind  from  the 
north-east,  but  towards  noon  it  veered  to  the  south-west,  and 
then  to  the  south,  continuing  to  blow  all  day  with  great 
force.  As  I  rode  westward  through  -the  hot  hours  of  the 
afternoon,  it  played  against  my  face  like  a  sheet  of  flame. 
The   sky    became   obscured    with   a  dull,   bluish   haze,   and 


A    FIERY    RIDE.  441 

the  sands  of  the  Beyooda,  on  my  left,  glimmered  white  and 
dim,  as  if  swept  by  the  blast  of  a  furnace.  There  were  occa- 
sional gusts  that  made  the  flesh  shrink  as  if  touched  with  a  hot 
iron,  and  I  found  it  impossible  to  bear  the  wind  full  on  my 
face.  One  who  has  never  felt  it,  cannot  conceive  the  withering 
effect  of  such  a  heat.  The  earth  seems  swept  with  the  first 
fires  of  that  conflagration  beneath  which  the  heavens  will 
shrivel  up  as  a  scroll,  and  you  instinctively  wonder  to  see  the 
palms  standing  green  and  unsinged.  My  camel-men  crept 
behind  the  camels  to  get  away  from  it,  and  Achmet  and  Ali 
muffled  up  their  faces  completely.  I  could  not  endure  the 
sultry  heat  occasioned  by  such  a  preparation,  and  so  rode  all 
day  with  my  head  in  the  fire. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  approached  the 
Nile  again.  There  was  a  grove  of  sont  and  doum-trees  on  the 
bank,  surrounding  a  large  quadrangular  structure  of  clay,  with 
square  towers  at  the  corners.  Grave-yards  stretched  for  nearly 
a  mile  along  the  edge  of  the  Desert,  and  six  large,  dome-like 
heaps'  of  clay  denoted  the  tombs  of  as  many  holy  men.  We 
next  came  upon  the  ruins  of  a  large  village,  with  a  fort  and  a 
heavy  palace-like  building  of  mud.  Before  reaching  Edabbe, 
the  terminus  of  the  caravan  route  from  Kordofan,  the  same 
evening,  I  rode  completely  around  the  bend  of  the  Nile,  so 
that  my  dromedary's  head  was  at  last  turned  towards  Wadi 
Haifa.  I  was  hot,  tired,  and  out  of  temper,  but  a  gourd  of  cool 
water,  at  the  first  house  we  reached,  made  all  right  again. 
There  were  seven  vessels  in  the  river,  waiting  for  the  caravans. 
One  had  just  arrived  from  Kordofan,  and  the  packages  of  gum 
were  piled  up  along  the  shore.  We  were  immediately  followed 
by  the  sailors,  who  were  anxious  that  I  should  hire  their  ve&- 
19* 


442  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

eels  I  rode  past  the  town,  which  does  not  contain  more 
than  thirty  houses  in  all,  and  had  my  tent  pitched  on  the  river 
bank. 

The  Nile  is  here  half  a  mile  broad,  and  a  long  reach  of  his 
current  is  visible  to  the  north  and  south.  The  opposite  bank 
was  high  and  steep,  lined  at  the  water's  edge  with  a  belt  of 
beans  and  lupins,  behind  which  rose  a  line  of  palms,  and  still 
higher  the  hills  of  pale,  golden-hued  sand,  spotted  like  a  leop- 
ard's hide,  with  clumps  of  a  small  mimosa.  The  ground  was  a 
clear,  tawny  yellow,  but  the  spots  were  deep  emerald.  Below 
the  gorgeous  drapery  of  these  hills,  the  river  glittered  in  a 
dark,  purple-blue  sheet.  The  coloring  of  the  mid- African  land- 
scapes is  truly  unparalleled.  To  me,  it  became  more  than  a 
simple  sense;  it  grew  to  be  an  appetite.  When,  after  a  jour- 
ney in  the  Desert,  I  again  beheld  the  dazzling  green  palms  and 
wheat-fields  of  the  Nile,  I  imagined  that  there  was  a  positive 
sensation  on  the  retina.  I  felt,  or  seemed  to  feel,  physically, 
the  colored  rays — beams  of  pure  emerald,  topaz  and  amethys- 
tine lustre — as  they  struck  the  eye. 

At  Edabbe  I  first  made  acquaintance  with  a  terrible  pest, 
which  for  many  days  afterwards  occasioned  me  much  torment — 
a  small  black  fly,  as  venomous  as  the  musquito,  and  much 
more  difficult  to  drive  away.  I  sat  during  the  evening  with 
my  head,  neck  and  ears  closely  bound  up,  notwithstanding  the 
heat.  After  the  flies  left,  a  multitude  of  beetles,  moths,  wing- 
ed ants  and  other  nameless  creatures  came  in  their  place.  I 
sat  and  sweltered,  murmuring  for  the  waters  of  Abana  and 
Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus,  and  longing  for  a  glass  of  sherbet 
cooled  with  the  snows  of  Lebanon. 

We  were  up  with  the  first  glimmering  of  dawn.     The  sky 


THE    COUNTRY    OF    DONGOLA.  4  48 

was  dull  and  hazy,  and  the  sun  came  up  like  a  shield  of  rusty 
copper,  as  we  started.  Our  path  lay  through  the  midst  of 
the  cultivated  land,  sometimes  skirting  the  banks  of  the 
Nile,  and  sometimes  swerving  off  to  the  belts  of  sont  and 
euphorbia  which  shut  out  the  sand.  The  sakias,  turned  by 
a  yoke  of  oxen  each,  were  in  motion  on  the  river,  and  the 
men  were  wading  through  the  squares  of  wheat,  cotton  and 
barley,  turning  the  water  into  them.  All  farming  processes, 
from  sowing  to  reaping,  were  going  on  at  the  same  time.  The 
cultivated  land  was  frequently  more  than  a  mile  in  breadth, 
and  all  watered  from  the  river.  The  sakias  are  taxed  four 
hundred  and  seventy-five  piastres  each,  notwithstanding  the 
sum  fixed  by  Government  is  only  three  hundred.  The  remain- 
der goes  into  the  private  treasuries  of  the  Governors.  For  this 
reason,  many  persons,  unable  to  pay  the  tax,  emigrate  into 
Kordofan  and  elsewhere.  This  may  account  for  the  frequent 
tracts  of  the  finest  soil  which  are  abandoned.  I  passed  many 
fine  fields,  given  up  to  the  halfeh  grass,  which  grew  most  rank 
and  abundant.  My  dromedary  had  a  rare  time  of  it,  cropping 
the  juicy  bunches  as  he  went  along.  The  country  is  thickly 
settled,  and  our  road  was  animated  with  natives,  passing  back 
and  forth. 

About  noon,  we  saw  in  advance,  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  Nile,  a  bold,  bluff  ridge,  crowned  with  a  large  square 
building.  This  the  people  pointed  out  to  us  as  the  location 
of  Old  Dongola.  As  we  approached  nearer,  a  long  line  of 
mud  buildings  appeared  along  the  brow  of  the  hill,  whose 
northern  slope  was  cumbered  with  ruins.  We  left  the  cara- 
van track  and  rode  down  to  the  ferry  place  at  the  river,  over  a 
long  stretch   of  abandoned  fields,  where  the  cotton  was  almost 


444  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

choked  out  with  grass,  and  the  beans  and  lentils  vvere  growing 
wild  in  bunches.  After  my  tent  had  been  pitched  in  a  cotton- 
patch,  I  took  a  grateful  bath  in  the  river,  and  then  crossed  in 
the  ferry-boat  to  the  old  town.  The  hill  upon  which  it  ia 
built  terminates  abruptly  in  a  precipice  of  red  sandstone  rock, 
about  a  hundred  feet  in  height.  Four  enormous  fragments 
have  been  broken  off,  and  lie  as  they  fell,  on  the  edge  of  the 
water.  A  steep  path  through  drifts  of  sliding  yellow  sand 
leads  around  the  cliffs,  up  to  the  dwellings.  I  found  the 
ascent  laborious,  as  the  wind,  which  had  veered  to  the  west, 
was  as  hot  as  on  the  previous  day ;  but  a  boatman  and  one  of 
my  camel-men  seized  a  hand  each  and  hauled  me  up  most  con- 
veniently. At  the  summit,  all  was  ruin ;  interminable  lines 
of  walls  broken  down,  and  streets  filled  up  with  sand.  I  went 
first  to  the  Kasr,  or  Palace,  which  stands  on  the  highest  part 
of  the  hill.  It  is  about  forty  feet  in  height,  having  two  stories 
and  a  broad  foundation  wall,  and  is  built  mostly  of  burnt 
brick  and  sandstone.  It  is  the  palace  of  the  former  Dongolese 
Kings,  and  a  more  imposing  building  than  one  would  expect 
to  find  in  such  a  place.  Near  the  entrance  is  an  arched  pas- 
sage, leading  down  to  some  subterranean  chambers,  which  1 
did  not  explore.  It  needed  something  more  than  the  assu- 
rance of  an  old  Nubian,  however,  to  convince  me  that  there  was 
an  underground  passage  from  this  place  to  Djebel  Berkel.  A 
broad  flight  of  stone  steps  ascended  to  the  second  story,  in 
which  are  many  chambers  and  passages.  The  walls  are  cover- 
ed with  Arabic  inscriptions,  written  in  the  plaster  while  it  was 
yet  moist.  The  hall  of  audience  had  once  a  pavement  of 
marble,  several  blocks  of  which  still  remain,  and  the  ceiling  is 
supported  in  the  centre  by  three  shafts  of  granite,  taken  from 


TETE    RUINS    OF    OLD    DONGOLA.  445 

some  old  Egyptian  ruin.  The  floors  are  covered  with  tiles  of 
burnt  brick,  but  the  palm  -logs  which  support  them  have  given 
away  in  many  places,  rendering  one's  footing  insecure.  Be- 
hind the  hall  of  audience  is  a  passage,  with  a  niche,  in  each 
side  of  which  is  also  an  ancient  pillar  of  granite.  From  the 
tenor  of  one  of  the  Arabic  inscriptions,  it  appears  that  the 
building  was  originally  designed  for  a  mosque,  and  that  it  was 
erected  in  the  year  1317,  by  Saf-ed-deen  Abdallah,  after  a 
victory  over  the  infidels. 

I  ascended  to  the  roof  of  the  palace,  which  is  flat  and  paved 
with  stones.  The  view  was  most  remarkable.  The  height 
on  which  Old  Dongola  is  built,  falls  off  on  all  sides,  inland  as 
well  as  towards  the  river,  so  that  to  the  east  one  overlooks  a 
wide  extent  of  desert — low  hills  of  red  sand,  stretching  away 
to  a  dim,  hot  horizon.  To  the  north,  the  hill  slopes  gradually 
to  the  Nile,  covered  with  the  ruins  of  old  buildings.  North- 
east, hardly  visible  through  the  sandy  haze,  rose  a  high,  isolat- 
ed peak,  with  something  like  a  tower  on  its  summit.  To  the 
south  and  east  the  dilapidated  city  covered  the  top  of  the  hill 
— a  mass  of  ashy-gray  walls  of  mud  and  stone,  for  the  most 
part  roofless  and  broken  down,  while  the  doors,  courts  and 
alleys  between  them  were  half  choked  up  with  the  loose  sand 
blown  in  from  the  Desert.  The  graveyards  of  the  former  in- 
habitants extended  for  more  than  a  mile  through  the  sand, 
over  the  dreary  hills  behind  the  town.  Among  them  were  a 
great  number  of  conical,  pointed  structures  of  clay  and  stones, 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  height.  The  camel-men  said 
they  were  the  tombs  of  rossool — prophets,  or  holy  men.  I 
counted  twenty-five  in  that  portion  of  the  cemetery  which  was 
visible.     The  whole  view  was  one  of  entire  and  absolute  deso- 


446  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

lation,  heightened  the  more  by  the  clouds  of  sand  which  filled 
the  air,  and  which,  in  their  withering  heat,  seemed  to  be  rain- 
ing ruin  upon  the  land. 

I  afterwards  walked  through  the  city,  and  was  surprised  to 
find  many  large,  strong  houses  of  stone  and  burnt  brick,  with 
spacious  rooms,  the  walls  of  which  were  plastered  and  white- 
washed. The  lintels  of  the  doors  and  windows  were  stone, 
the  roofs  in  many  places,  where  they  still  remained,  covered 
with  tiles,  and  every  thing  gave  evidence  of  a  rich  and  power- 
ful city.  Now,  probably  not  more  than  one-fifth  of  the  houses 
are  inhabited.  Here  and  there  the  people  have  spread  a  roof- 
ing of  mats  over  the  open  walls,  and  nestled  themselves  in  the 
sand.  I  saw  several  such  places,  the  doors,  or  rather  entrances 
to  which,  were  at  the  bottom  of  loose  sand-hills  that  constantly 
slid  down  and  filled  the  dingy  dwellings.  In  my  walk  I  met 
but  one  or  two  persons,  but  as  we  returned  again  to  the  river, 
I  saw  a  group  of  Dongolese  women  on  the  highest  part  of  the 
cliff.  They  were  calling  in  shrill  tones  and  waving  their  hands 
to  some  persons  in  the  ferry-boat  on  the  river  below,  and  need- 
ed no  fancy  to  represent  the  daughters  of  Old  Dongola  la- 
menting over  its  fall. 

Some  Dongolese  djellabidt,  or  merchants,  just  returned 
from  Kordofan,  were  in  the  ferry-boat.  One  of  them  showed 
me  a  snuff-box  which  he  had  bought  from  a  native  of  Fertit, 
beyond  Dar-Fur.  It  was  formed  of  the  shell  of  some  fruit, 
with  a  silver  neck  attached.  By  striking  the  head  of  the  box 
on  the  thumb-nail,  exactly  one  pinch  was  produced.  The  rais 
took  off  his  mantle,  tied  one  end  of  it  to  the  ring  in  the  bow 
and  stood  thereon,  holding  the  other  end  with  both  hands 
stretched  above  his  head.     He  made  a  fine  bronze  figure-head 


NUBIAN     GRATITUDE.  447 

for  the  boat,  and  it  was  easy  to  divine  her  name  :  Tlie  Nu> 
Man.  We  had  on  board  a  number  of  copper-hued  women, 
whose  eyelids  were  stained  with  kolil,  which  gave  them  a 
ghastly  appearance. 

Soon  after  my  tent  had  been  pitched,  in  the  afternoon,  a 
man  came  riding  up  from  the  river  on  a  donkey,  leading  a 
borse  behind  him.  He  had  just  crossed  one  of  the  water- 
courses on  his  donkey,  and  was  riding  on,  holding  the  horse's 
rope  in  his  hand,  when  the  animal  started  back  at  the  water- 
course, jerking  the  man  over  the  donkey's  tail  and  throwing 
him  violently  on  the  ground.  He  lay  as  if  dead  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  but  Achmet  finally  brought  him  to  consciousness 
by  pouring  the  contents  of  a  leathern  water-flask  over  his  head, 
and  raising  him  to  a  sitting  posture.  His  brother,  who  had 
charge  of  a  sakia  on  the  bank,  brought  me  an  angareb  in  the 
evening,  in  acknowledgment  of  this  good  office.  It  is  a  good 
trait  in  the  people,  that  they  are  always  grateful  for  kindness. 
The  angareb,  however,  did  not  prove  of  much  service,  for  I 
was  so  beset  by  the  black  gnats  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep, 
They  assailed  my  nose,  mouth,  ears  and  eyes  in  such  numbers 
that  I  was  almost  driven  mad.  I  rubbed  my  face  with  strong 
vinegar,  but  it  only  seemed  to  attract  them  the  more.  I  un- 
wound my  turban,  and  rolled  it  around  my  neck  and  ears,  but 
they  crept  under  the  folds  and  buzzed  and  bit  until  I  was 
forced  to  give  up  the  attempt. 

Our  road,  the  next  morning,  lay  near  the  river,  through 
tracks  of  thick  halfeh,  four  or  five  feet  high.  We  constantly 
passed  the  ruins  of  villages  and  the  naked  frames  of  abandon- 
ed sakias.  The  soil  was  exceedingly  rich,  as  the  exuberant 
growth  of  halfeh  proved,  but  for  miles  and  miles  there  was  no 


448  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

sign  of  life.  The  tyranny  of  the  Turks  has  depopulated  one 
of  the  fairest  districts  of  Nubia.  The  wind  blew  violently 
from  the  north,  and  the  sandy  haze  and  gray  vapor  in  the  air 
became  so  dense  that  I  could  scarcely  distinguish  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  Nile.  The  river  was  covered  with  white  caps,  and 
broke  on  the  beach  below  w7ith  a  wintry  roar.  As  wre  journey- 
ed along  through  the  wild  green  grass  and  orchards  of  sont, 
passing  broken  walls  and  the  traces  of  old  water-courses,  I 
could  have  believed  myself  travelling  through  some  deserted 
landscape  of  the  North.  I  was  chilled  with  the  strong  wind, 
which  roared  in  the  sont  and  made  my  beard  whistle  under 
my  nose  like  a  wisp  of  dry  grass.  Several  ships  passed  us, 
scudding  up  stream  under  bare  poles,  and  one,  which  had  a 
single  reef  shaken  out  of  her  large  sail,  dashed  by  like  a  high- 
pressure  steamer. 

After  two  or  three  hours  wre  passed  out  of  this  region. 
The  Desert  extended  almost  to  the  water's  edge,  and  we  had 
nothing  but  sand  and  thorns.  The  wind  by  this  time  was 
more  furious  than  ever,  and  the  air  was  so  full  of  sand  that  we 
could  not  see  more  than  a  hundred  yards  on  either  hand.  The 
sun  gave  out  a  white,  ghastly  light,  which  increased  the  drear- 
iness of  the  day.  All  trace  of  the  road  was  obliterated,  and 
we  could  only  travel  at  random  among  the  thorns,  following 
the  course  of  the  Nile,  which  we  were  careful  to  keep  in  view. 
My  eyes,  ears,  and  nostrils  were  soon  filled  with  sand,  and  I 
was  obliged  to  bind  my  turban  so  as  nearly  to  cover  my  face, 
leaving  only  space  enough  to  take  a  blind  view  of  the  way  we 
were  going.  At  breakfast  time,  after  two  hours  of  this  mar- 
tyrdom, I  found  a  clump  of  thorns  so  thick  as  to  shut  off  the 
wind,  but  no  sooner  had  I  dismounted  and  crept  under   its 


ANOTHER    SAND-STORM.  449 

shelter  than  I  experienced  a  scorching  heat  from  the  sun,  and 
was  attacked  by  myriads  of  the  black  gnats.  I  managed  to 
eat  something  in  a  mad  sort  of  way,  beating  my  face  and  ears 
continually,  and  was  glad  to  thrust  my  head  again  into  the 
sand-storm,  which  drove  off  the  worse  pests.  So  for  hours  we 
pursued  our  journey.  I  could  not  look  in  the  face  of  the  wTind, 
which  never  once  fell.  The  others  suffered  equally,  and  two 
of  the  camel-men  lagged  so,  that  we  lost  sight  of  them  entire- 
ly. It  was  truly  a  good  fortune  that  I  did  not  take  the  short 
road,  east  of  the  Nile,  from  Merawe  to  New  Dongola,  In  the 
terrible  wastes  of  the  Nubian  Desert,  we  could  scarcely  have 
survived  such  a  storm. 

Nearly  all  the  afternoon  we  passed  over  deserted  tracts, 
which  were  once  covered  with  flourishing  fields.  The  water- 
courses extend  for  nearly  two  miles  from  the  river,  and  cross 
the  road  at  intervals  of  fifty  yards.  But  now  tin  villages  are 
level  with  the  earth,  and  the  sand  wrhistles  over  the  traces  of 
fields  and  gardens,  which  it  has  not  yet  effaced.  Two  hours 
before  sunset  the  sun  disappeared,  and  I  began  to  long  for  the 
town  of  Handak,  our  destination.  Achmet  and  I  were  ahead, 
and  the  other  camels  were  not  to  be  seen  any  longer,  so  as  sun- 
set came  on  I  grew  restless  and  uneasy.  The  palms  by  this 
time  had  appeared  again  on  the  river's  brink,  and  there  was  a 
village  on  our  left,  in  the  sand.  We  asked  again  for  Handak. 
"  Just  at  the  corner  of  yon  palms,"  said  the  people.  They 
spoke  with  a  near  emphasis,  which  encouraged  me.  The  Ara- 
bic dialect  of  Central  Africa  has  one  curious  characteristic, 
which  evidently  springs  from  the  want  of  a  copious  vocabulary. 
Degree,  or  intensity  of  meaning  is  usually  indicated  by  accent 
alone.     Thus,  when  they  point  to  an  object  near  at  hand  they 


450  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Bay  :  henalc,  "  there ;"  if  it  is  a  moderate  distance  off,  they 
lengthen  the  sound  into  "  hen-a-a-ak  ;"  while,  if  it  is  so  far  as 
to  be  barely  visible,  the  last  syllable  is  sustained  with  a  full 
breath — "  hen-a-a-a-a-a-ak  /"  In  the  same  way,  sad  signifies 
"  an  hour  ;"  sa-a-a-a,  "  two  hours,"  &c.  This  habit  of  speech 
gives  the  language  a  very  singular  and  eccentric  character. 

We  pushed  on  till  the  spot  was  reached,  but  as  far  ahead 
as  the  sand  would  permit  us  to  see,  could  discern  no  house. 
We  asked  again ;  the  town  commenced  at  the  next  corner  of 
the  palms  ahead  of  us.  I  think  this  thing  must  have  happen- 
ed to  us  five  or  six  times,  till  at  last  I  got  into  that  peculiarly 
amiable  mood  which  sees  nothing  good  in  Heaven  or  Earth. 
If  my  best  friend  had  come  to  meet  me,  I  should  have  given 
him  but  a  sour  greeting.  My  eyes  were  blinded,  my  head 
dull  and  stupid,  and  my  bones  sore  from  twelve  hours  in  the 
saddle.  As  it  grew  dark,  we  were  overtaken  by  four  riders 
mounted  on  fine  dromedaries.  They  were  going  at  a  sweeping 
trot,  and  our  beasts  were  ambitious  enough  to  keep  pace  with 
them  for  some  time.  One  of  them  was  a  stately  shekh,  with 
a  white  robe  and  broad  gold  border  and  fringe.  From  what 
the  people  said  of  him,  I  took  him  to  be  the  Melek,  or  King 
of  Dongola. 

Meanwhile,  it  was  growing  dark.  We  could  see  nothing 
of  the  town,  though  a  woman  who  had  been  walking  beside  us, 
said  we  were  there  already.  She  said  she  had  a  fine  house, 
which  we  could  have  for  the  night,  since  it  was  almost  impos- 
sible for  a  tent  to  stand  in  such  a  wind.  As  I  had  already 
dipped  into  the  night,  I  determined  to  reach  Handak  at  all 
hazards,  and  after  yet  another  hour,  succeeded.  Achmet  and 
I  dismounted  in  a  ruined  court-yard,  and  while  I  sat  on  a 


MY    LODGING    IN    HANDAK.  451 

broken  wall,  holding  the  camels,  he  went  to  look  for  our  men. 
It  was  a  dismal  place,  in  the  gathering  darkness,  with  the 
wind  howling  and  the  sand  drifting  on  all  sides,  and  I  wonder- 
ed what  fiend  had  ever  tempted  me  to  travel  in  Africa.  Be- 
fore  long  the  woman  appeared  and  guided  us  to 'a  collection  of 
miserable  huts  on  the  top  of  the  hill.  Her  fine  house  proved 
to  be  a  narrow,  mud-walled  room,  with  a  roof  of  smoked  dour- 
ra-stalks.  It  shut  off  the  wind,  however,  and  when  I  entered 
and  found  the  occupants  (two  other  women),  talking  to  each 
other  by  the  light  of  a  pile  of  blazing  corn-stalks,  it  looked  ab- 
solutely cheerful.  I  stretched  myself  out  on  one  of  the  anga- 
rebs,  and  soon  relapsed  into  a  better  humor.  But  I  am  afraid 
we  were  not  lodged  in  the  most  respectable  house  of  Handak, 
for  the  women  showed  no  disposition  to  leave,  when  we  made 
preparations  for  sleeping.  They  paid  no  attention  to  my  re- 
quests, except  by  some  words  of  endearment,  which,  from  such 
creatures,  were  sufficiently  disgusting,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
threaten  them  with  forcible  ejection,  before  they  vacated  the 
house.  The  camel-men  informed  me  that  the  place  is  noto- 
rious for  its  harlotry. 

As  we  had  made  a  forced  march  of  forty  miles  in  one  day, 
I  gave  the  caravan  a  rest  until  noon,  and  treated  the  men  to 
mutton  and  mareesa.  Prices  had  already  increased,  since 
leaving  Soudan,  and  I  could  not  procure  a  sheep  for  less  than 
seventeen  piastres.  The  women,  who  had  returned  at  sunrise, 
begged  me  to  give  them  the  entrails,  which  they  cut  into  pieces 
and  ate  raw,  with  the  addition  of  some  onions  and  salt.  The 
old  woman  told  me  a  piteous  tale  of  the  death  of  her  son,  and 
her  own  distress,  and  how  King  Dyaab  (who  had  passed 
through  Handak  the  day  previous,  on  his  way  to  Dar  El-Ma- 


452  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

hass)  had  given  her  two  piastres,  and  she  hoped  I  would  also 
give  her  something,  that  she  might  buy  a  new  dress.  I  gave 
her  the  same  as  King  Dyaab,  which  she  at  once  asked  me  to 
take  back  again,  as  she  expected  at  least  nine  piastres.  See- 
ing I  was  about  to  take  her  at  her  word,  she  made  haste  to  se- 
cure the  money.  Her  youngest  daughter,  a  bold,  masculine 
thing,  with  hair  cut  close  to  her  head,  now  came  to  me  for 
backsheesh.  "  Oh  !"  said  I,  "  you  are  going  to  do  as  the  old 
woman  did,  are  you?"  "No,"  she  exclaimed;  "if  you  will 
give  me  two  piastres,  I  will  ask  for  no  more.  The  old  woman 
is  a  miserable  wretch  ! "  and  she  spat  upon  the  ground  to  show 
her  disgust.  "  Go  ! "  I  said  ;  "  I  shall  give  nothing  to  a  girl 
who  insults  her  mother." 

From  Handak  to  El  Ordee  is  two  days'  journey.  The 
country  presents  the  same  aspect  of  desertion  and  ruin  as  that 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Old  Dongola.  Untenanted  villages 
line  the  road  during  nearly  the  whole  distance.  The  face  of 
the  country  Is  level,  and  there  is  no  mountain  to  be  seen  on 
either  bank  of  the  Nile.  It  is  a  melancholy,  deserted  re- 
gion, showing  only  palms  growing  wildly  and  rankly  along  the 
river,  fields  covered  with  halfeh,  water-courses  broken  down, 
sakias  dismantled,  and  everywhere  dwellings  in  ruin.  Here 
and  there  a  few  inhabitants  still  lingered,  tending  their  fields 
of  stunted  cotton,  or  watering  some  patches  of  green  wheat. 
The  general  aspect  of  desolation  was  heightened  by  the  strong 
north-wind,  which  filled  the  air  with  clouds  of  sand,  making 
the  sunshine  so  cold  and  white,  that  all  the  color  faded  out  of 
the  landscape.  The  palms  were  dull  and  dark,  and  the  sand- 
hills beyond  the  Nile  a  dead,  lifeless  yellow.  All  this  district 
swarms  with  black  gnats,  which  seemed  to  have  been  sent  as  a 


APPROACH    TO    EL    ORDEE.  453 

curse  upon  its   desertion,  for  they  never  appeared  where  the 
country  was  thickly  inhabited  and  all  the  soil  cultivated. 

On  the  first  day  after  leaving  Handak,  we  passed  the  vil- 
lages of  Kiar,  Sori  and  Urub,  and  stopped  at  a  place  called 
Tetti.  The  wind  blew  so  violently  during  the  night  that  every 
thing  in  my  tent,  my  head  included,  wTas  thickly  covered  with 
dust.  The  next  day  wre  passed  a  large  town  called  Hannak. 
The  greater  part  of  it  was  levelled  to  the  earth,  and  evidently 
by  violence,  for  the  wTalls  were  of  stone.  It  stood  on  a  rocky 
rise,  near  the  river,  and  had  on  its  highest  part  the  remains  of 
some  defences,  and  a  small  palace,  in  tolerable  preservation. 
The  hills  behind  were  covered  for  half  a  mile  with  the  graves 
of  the  former  inhabitants,  among  which  I  noticed  the  cones 
and  pyramids  of  several  holy  men.  As  we  approached  El  Or- 
dee  (by  which  name  New  Dongola  is  usually  called),  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  country  improved,  although  there  was  still  as 
much  deserted  as  cultivated  land.  The  people  we  met  were 
partly  Dongolese  and  partly  Arabs  from  the  Desert,  the  latter 
with  bushy  hair,  shining  with  grease,  and  spears  in  their 
hands.  They  cheered  us  with  the  news  that  El  Ordee  was  not 
distant,  and  we  would  arrive  there  at  asser — the  time  of  after- 
noon prayer,  two  hours  before  sunset.  My  camel-men  rejoiced 
at  the  prospect  of  again  having  mareesa  to  drink,  and  I  asked 
old  Mohammed  if  he  supposed  the  saints  drank  mareesa  in 
Paradise.  "Why!"  he  joyfully  exclaimed;  "do  you  know 
about  Paradise  ?"  "  Certainly  ;"  said  I,  "  if  you  lead  a  good 
life,  you  will  go  straight  there,  but  if  you  are  wicked,  Eblis 
will  carry  you.  down  into  the  flames."  "  Wallah  ! "  said  the 
old  fellow,  aside  to  Achmet ;  "  but  this  is  a  good  Frank.  He 
certainly  has  Islam  in  his  heart." 


454  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

About  two  o'clock,  we  descried  the  minaret  of  El  Ordec, 
its  sugar-loaf  top  glittering  white  in  the  sun.  The  place  was 
three  or  four  miles  distant,  and  we  did  not  reach  it  until  after 
more  than  an  hour's  travel.  As  we  approached,  it  presented 
the  usual  appearance  of  the  Nubian  towns — a  long  line  of 
blank  mud  walls,  above  which  rise,  perhaps,  the  second  stories 
of  a  few  more  ambitious  mud  houses  ;  here  a  sycamore,  there 
a  palm  or  two,  denoting  a  garden  within ;  a  wide  waste  of  sand 
round  about,  some  filthy  people  basking  in  the  sun,  and  a  mul- 
titude of  the  vilest  kind  of  dogs.  Near  the  river  there  are 
some  fine  large  gardens,  as  in  Khartoum.  I  had  already  de- 
cided to  stop  two  days,  to  rest  my  caravan,  before  commenc- 
ing the  long  and  toilsome  march  to  Wadi-Halfa,  but  instead 
of  hiring  a  house  I  went  around  the  town  and  pitched  my  tent 
on  the  northern  side,  on  a  sandy  plain,  where  I  secured  pure 
air  and  freedom  from  molestation  by  the  inhabitants. 

The  morning  after  my  arrival,  the  Governor,  Khoorshid 
Bey,  called  at  my  tent,  and  I  returned  the  visit  in  the  after- 
noon. He  was  a  stout,  fair- skinned  and  brown-bearded  man 
of  thirty-eight,  and  looked  more  like  an  American  than  a  Turk. 
I  found  him  in  the  shop  of  a  Turkish  merchant,  opposite  the 
door  of  the  mosque,  which  is  built  in  the  centre  of  the  bazaar. 
Two  soldiers  were  in  attendance,  and  brought  me  coffee  and 
sherbet.  The  Bey  was  particularly  anxious  to  know  whether 
the  railroad  from  Alexandria  to  Cairo  would  be  built,  and 
how  much  it  would  cost.  While  I  was  sitting  with  him,  the 
mollahs  were  chanting  in  the  mosque  opposite,  as  it  was  the 
Moslem  Sunday,  and  groups  of  natives  were  flocking  thither 
to  say  their  prayers.  Presently  the  voice  of  the  muezzin  was 
heard  from  the  top  of  the  minaret,  chanting  in  a  loud,  melo* 


EL    ORDEE    (NEW    DONGOLA).  455 

dious,  melancholy  cadence  the  call  to  prayer — a  singular  cry, 
the  effect  of  which,  especially  at  sunset,  is  really  poetic  and 
suggestive.  I  took  my  leave,  as  the  Bey  was  expected  to  per- 
form his  devotions  with  the  other  worshippers. 

The  town  may  be  seen  in  an  hour.  It  contains  no  sights, 
except  the  bazaar,  which  has  about  twenty  tolerable  shops, 
principally  stocked  with  cottons  and  calicoes,  and  a  great  quan- 
tity of  white  shawls  with  crimson  borders,  which  the  people 
here  are  fond  of  wearing  over  their  shoulders.  Outside  the 
bazaar,  which  has  a  roof  of  palm-logs  covered  with  matting, 
are  a  few  shops,  containing  spices,  tobacco,  beads,  trinkets  and 
the  like  small  articles.  Beyond  this  was  the  soog,  where  the 
people  came  with  their  coarse  tobacco,  baskets  of  raw  cotton, 
onions,  palm-mats,  gourds,  dates,  faggots  of  fire-wood,  sheep 
and  fowls.  In  this  market-place,  which  ascended  and  descend- 
ed with  the  dirt-heaps  left  from  ruined  houses,  there  were  four 
ostriches,  which  walked  about,  completely  naturalized  to  the 
place.  One  of  them  was  more  than  eight  feet  high — a  most 
powerful  and  graceful  creature.  They  were  not  out  of  place, 
among  the  groups  of  wild-haired  Kababish  and  Bisharee,  who 
frequented  the  market. 

Below  the  river-bank,  which  is  high,  upwards  of  twenty 
small  trading  craft  were  lying.  One  had  just  arrived  with  a 
load  of  lime,  which  the  naked  sailors  were  carrying  up  the 
bank  in  baskets,  on  their  heads.  The  channel  of  the  Nile  here 
is  mainly  taken  up  with  the  large,  sandy  island  of  Tor,  and  the 
stream  is  very  narrow.  The  shore  was  crowded  with  women, 
washing  clothes  or  filling  their  water-jars,  men  hoisting  full 
water-skins  on  the  backs  of  donkeys,  and  boys  of  all  shades, 
from  whity-yellow  to  perfect  black,  bathing  and  playing  on  the 


456  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

brink.  The  northern  part  of  the  town  appeared  to  he  desert- 
ed, and  several  spacious  two-story  buildings  were  falling  into 
ruins.  I  noticed  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  houses  which 
would  be  considered  handsome  in  Berber  or  Khartoum.  El 
Ordee  ranks  next  after  those  places,  in  all  the  Egyptian  terri- 
tory beyond  Assouan,  but  has  the  disadvantage  of  being  mere 
filthy  than  they. 


WE    START    FOR    WADI-HALFA.  457 


CHAPTER     XXXV. 

JOURNEY    THROUGH    DAR    EL-MAHASS    AND     SUKKOT. 

We  start  fur  Wadi-Halfa— The  Plague  of  Black  Gnats— Mohammed's  Coffin— The 
Island  of  Argo— Market-Day—  Scenery  of  the  Nile— Entering  Dar  El-Mahass— 
Ruined  Fortresses — The  Camel-Men— A  Rocky  Chaos— Fakir  Bender — The  Akaba 
of  Mithass— Camp  in  the  Wilderness— The  Charm  of  Desolation— The  Nile  again— 
Pilgrims  from  Dar-Fur — The  Struggle  of  the  Nile — An  Arcadian  Landscape — The 
Temple  of  Soleb— Dar  Sukkot— The  Land  of  Dates— The  Island  of  Sai— A  Sea  of 
Sand — Camp  by  the  River — A  Hyena  Barbecue. 

We  left  El  Ordee  or  New  Dongola,  before  sunrise  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  February.  A  boy  of  about  fourteen  years  old 
came  out  from  the  town,  helped  load  the  camels,  and  insisted 
on  accompanying  me  to  Cairo.  As  my  funds  were  diminish- 
ing, and  I  had  no  need  of  additional  service,  I  refused  to  take 
him,  and  he  went  home  greatly  disappointed.  "VVc  were  all  in 
fine  health  and  spirits,  from  the  two  days'  rest,  and  our  ships 
of  the  Desert  sailed  briskly  along  the  sands,  with  the  palmy 
coasts  green  and  fair  on  our  right.  For  some  miles  from  the 
town  the  land  is  tolerably  well  cultivated,  but  the  grain  was 
all  much  younger  than  in  the  neighborhood  of  Old  Dongola. 
Beyond  this,  the  country  was  again  deserted  and  melancholy  ; 
everywhere  villages  in  ruin,  fields  given  up  to  sand  and  thorns, 
20 


458  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

and  groves  of  date  trees  wasting  their  vigor  in  rank,  unpruned 
shoots.  The  edge  of  the  Desert  was  covered  with  grave-yards 
to  a  considerable  extent,  each  one  boasting  its  cluster  of  pyra- 
mids and  cones,  raised  over  the  remains  of  holy  shekhs.  To- 
wards noon  I  dismounted  for  breakfast  in  a  grove  of  sont 
trees,  but  had  no  sooner  seated  myself  on  my  carpet,  than  the 
small  black  flies  came  in  such  crowds  that  I  was  scarcely  able 
to  eat.  They  assailed  my  temples,  ears,  eyes  and  nostrils, 
and  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  drive  them  away.  I  was  half 
crazy  with  the  infliction,  and  at  night  my  neck  and  temples 
were  swollen  and  covered  with  blotches  worse  than  those  made 
by  mosquito  stings  In  fact,  mosquitoes  are  mild  and  merci- 
ful in  comparison.  Had  not  my  road  been  mostly  in  the 
Desert,  away  from  the  trees,  I  could  scarcely  have  endured  the 
journey.  The  few  inhabitants  along  the  river  kindled  fires  of 
green  wood  and  sat  in  the  smoke. 

In  the  afternoon  the  monotony  of  the  Desert  on  the  western 
bank  was  broken  by  a  solitary  mountain  of  a  remarkable  form. 
It  precisely  resembled  an  immense  coffin,  the  ends  being  appa- 
rently cut  square  off,  and  as  the  effect  of  a  powerful  mirage 
lifted  it  above  the  horizon,  it  seemed  like  the  sarcophagus  of 
the  Prophet,  in  the  Kaaba,  to  be  suspended  between  heaven 
and  earth.  The  long  island  of  Argo,  which  I  saw  occasionally 
across  an  arm  of  the  Nile,  appeared  rich  and  well  cultivated. 
It  belongs  mostly  to  Melek  Hammed,  King  of  Dongola,  who 
was  expected  at  home  the  day  I  passed,  on  his  return  from 
Cairo,  where  he  had  been  three  months  or  more,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  representing  to  Abbas  Fasha  the  distressed  condition 
of  the  country,  and  obtaining  some  melioration  of  the  system 
of  misrule  inflicted  upon  it.     Near  the  town  of  Argo,  on  the 


THE  PLAGUK  OF  BLACK  GNATS.  459 

opposite  side  of  the  island  my  map  indicated  a  ruined  temple, 
and  I  made  a  strong  effort  to  see  it ;  but  at  Binni,  which  was 
the  nearest  point,  there  was  no  ferry,  and  the  people  knew 
nothing  of  the  temple  nor  of  any  thing  else.  I  left  the  main 
road  and  followed  the  bank,  but  the  terrible  flies  drove  me 
away,  and  so,  maddened  and  disgusted,  I  came  at  last  to  a 
sakia,  where  the  people  informed  me  that  the  ferry  was  still 
ahead  and  the  ruins  already  some  distance  behind  me.  They 
said  this  deliberately  and  carelessly,  sitting  like  black  spectres 
in  the  midst  of  thick  smoke,  while  I  was  crazily  beating  my 
ears.  "  Tell  the  caravan  to  go  ahead,"  I  said  to  Achmet,  at 
length,  "  and  don't  talk  to  me  of  temples  until  we  have  got 
away  from  these  flies." 

The  next  morning  Achmet  had  some  difficulty  in  awaking 
me,  so  wrapt  was  I  in  dreams  of  home.  I  sat  shivering  in  the 
cool  air,  trying  to  discover  who  and  where  I  was,  but  the  yel- 
low glimmer  of  my  tent-lining  in  the  dim  light  of  dawn  soon 
informed  me.  During  the  day  we  passed  through  a  more 
thickly  settled  country,  and  owing  to  the  partial  cultivation  of 
the  soil,  were  less  troubled  by  that  Nubian  plague,  which  is 
always  worse  about  the  ruined  villages  and  the  fields  given  up 
to  halfeh  grass.  It  was  market-day  at  the  village  of  Hafier, 
and  we  met  and  passed  many  natives,  some  with  baskets  of 
raw  cotton  and  some  with  grain.  I  noticed  one  man  riding  a 
donkey  and  carrying  before  him  a  large  squash,  for  which  he 
would  possibly  get  twenty  paras  (2£  cents).  My  camel-men, 
who  had  neglected  to  buy  dourra  in  El  Ordee,  wanted  to  stop 
until  noon  in  order  to  get  it,  and  as  I  would  not  wait,  remained 
behind. 

The  scenery  had  a  wild  and  picturesque  air,  from  the  iso- 


4G0  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

lated  mountain  peaks,  which  now  appeared  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  Djebel  Arambo,  with  its  high,  precipitous  sides 
and  notched  summit,  stood  steeped  in  soft  purple  vapor — a 
beautiful  object  above  the  long  lines  of  palms  and  the  green 
level  of  the  islands  in  the  river.  The  fields  on  the  western 
bank  were  mostly  taken  up  with  young  wheat,  though  I  saw  a 
single  one  of  ripe  barley,  which  a  black  Barabra  was  reaping, 
cutting  off  the  stalks  about  one-third  of  the  way  below  the 
heads,  and  depositing  them  in  heaps.  By  noon,  I  knew  from 
the  land-marks  that  we  must  be  opposite  the  island  of  Tombos, 
where  there  are  some  ruins.  I  made  inquiries  for  it,  but  the 
bank  was  almost  deserted,  and  the  few  inhabitants  I  found 
gathered  in  straw  huts  here  and  there  among  the  rank  palm- 
groves,  could  tell  me  nothing  about  it.  All  agreed,  however, 
that  there  was  no  ferry  at  this  part  of  the  Nile,  and  to  swim 
across  was  out  of  the  question.  The  crocodiles  swarm  here,  and 
are  quite  delicate  in  their  tastes,  much  preferring  white  flesh 
to  black.  So  my  hope  of  Tombos  vanished  like  that  of  Argo. 
Beyond  the  island  is  a  little  ruined  village,  called  Hannek, 
and  here  I  took  leave  of  Bar  Dongola,  in  which  I  had  been 
travelling  ten  days,  and  entered  Dar  El-Mahass,  the  kingdom 
of  my  friend  Melck  Dyaab.  The  character  of  the  country 
changed  on  the  very  border.  Long  ridges  of  loose  blocks  of 
sandstone  and  granite,  as  at  Assouan  and  Akaba  Gerri,  in 
Soudan,  appeared  in  front,  at  first  on  the  western  bank,  but 
soon  throwing  their  lines  across  the  stream  and  forming  weirs 
and  rapids  in  its  current.  The  river  is  quite  narrow,  in  some 
places  not  a  hundred  yards  broad,  and  leads  a  very  tortuous 
course,  bearing  away  towards  the  north-west,  until  it  meets 
the  majestic  barrier  of  Djebel  Foga,  when  it  turns  to  the  north- 


RUINED    FORTRESSES.  4G1 

east.  About  two  hours  after  passing  Djebel  Arambo,  which 
stands  opposite  the  northern  extremity  of  Tombos,  we  reached 
the  large  and  hilly  island  of  Mosul,  where  the  river  divides  its 
waters  and  flows  for  several  miles  through  deep,  crooked,  rocky 
channels,  before  they  meet  again.  Here  there  is  no  cultiva- 
tion, the  stony  ridges  running  to  the  water's  edge.  The  river- 
bed is  so  crowded  and  jammed  with  granite  rocks,  that  from 
the  shore  it  appears  in  some  places  to  be  entirely  cut  off.  At 
this  point  there  are  three  castellated  mud  ruins  in  sight,  which 
at  a  distance  resemble  the  old  feudal  fortresses  of  Europe. 
The  one  nearest  which  we  passed  was  quadrangular,  with  cor- 
ner bastions,  three  round  and  one  square,  all  tapering  inward 
towards  the  top.  The  lower  part  of  the  wall  was  stone  and 
the  upper  part  mud,  while  the  towers  were  nearly  fifty  feet 
high.  That  on  an  island  in  the  river,  strongly  resembled  an 
Egyptian  temple,  with  its  pylons,  porticoes,  and  walls  of  cir- 
cuit. They  were  evidently  built  before  the  Turkish  invasion, 
and  were  probably  frontier . forts  of  the  Kings  of  El-Mahass; 
to  prevent  incursions  from  the  side  of  Dongola. 

We  reached  the  eastern  base  of  Djebel  Foga  about  four 
o'clock,  and  I  thought  it  best  to  encamp,  on  account  of  the 
camel-men,  who  had  a  walk  of  twenty-three  miles  with  bags  of 
dourra  on  their  shoulders,  before  they  could  reach  us.  I  had 
no  sooner  selected  a  place  for  my  tent,  on  the  top  of  a  high 
bank  overlooking  the  river,  than  they  appeared,  much  fatigued 
and  greatly  vexed  at  me  for  leaving  them  in  the  lurch,  I 
ordered  my  pipe  to  be  filled,  and  smoked  quietly,  making  no 
reply  to  their  loud  complaints,  and  in  a  short  time  the  most 
complete  harmony  prevailed  in  our  camp.  The  Nile  at  this 
place  flowed  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep  gorge,  filled  with  rocks. 


4G2  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

The  banks  were  almost  perpendicular,  but  covered  with  a  rich 
growth  of  halfeh,  which  our  camels  greedily  cropped,  at  the 
hazard  of  losing  their  balance  and  tumbling  down  into  the 
river.  I  fancied  there  was  already  a  taste  of  Egypt  in  the 
mountain  air,  and  nattered  myself  that  I  had  breathed  the  last 
of  the  languid  atmosphere  of  Soudan. 

The  next  morning  led  us  deeper  into  the  rocky  chaos.  The 
bed  of  the  Nile  was  properly  a  gorge,  so  deep  was  it  sunk 
among  the  stony  hills,  and  confined  within  such  narrow  limits. 
The  ridges  of  loose  blocks  of  granite  and  porphyry  roll  after 
each  other  like  waves,  and  their  crests  assume  the  most  fantas- 
tic variety  of  forms.  They  are  piled  in  heaps  and  balanced  on 
each  other,  topped  with  round  boulders  or  thrown  together  in 
twos  and  threes,  as  if  some  brood  of  Titan  children  had  been 
at  play  in  those  regions  and  were  frightened  away  in  the 
midst  of  their  employment.  It  is  impossible  to  lose  the  im- 
pression that  some  freak  of  human  or  superhuman  fancy  gave 
the  stones  their  quaint  grouping.^  Between  the  ridges  are 
shallow  hollows,  terminating  towards  the  west  in  deep,  rocky 
clefts,  and  opening  on  the  river  in  crescent-like  coves,  between 
the  jaggy  headlands  which  tumble  their  boulders  into  its  bed. 
High  peaks,  or  rather  conical  piles  of  porphyry  rock,  rise  here 
and  there  out  of  this  sterile  chaos.  Toward  the  east,  where 
the  Nile  winds  away  in  a  long  chain  of  mazy  curves,  they  form 
ranges  and  show  compact  walls  and  pinnacles.  The  few  palms 
and  the  little  eddies  of  wheat  sprinkled  along  both  banks  of 
the  river,  are  of  a  glorious  depth  and  richness  of  hue,  by  con- 
trast with  the  gray  and  purple  wastes  of  the  hills.  In  the 
sweet,  clear  air  of  the  morning,  the  scenery  was  truly  inspir- 
ing,  and  I  rode  over  the  high  ridges  in  a  mood  the  very  oppo- 
site of  that  I  had  felt  the  day  previous. 


THE    AKABA    OF    MAIIASS.  4G3 

The  Nile  makes  a  great  curve  through  the  laud  of  Mahass, 
to  avoid  which  the  road  passes  through  au  altala,  about  forty 
miles  iu  length.  At  the  corner,  where  the  river  curves  at  a 
right  angle  from  west  to  south,  is  a  small  ruined  place  called 
Fakir  Bender.  The  high  bank  is  a  little  less  steep  here  thau 
at  other  places,  and  its  sides  are  planted  with  lupins.  At  the 
end  of  the  village  is  an  immense  sont  tree,  apparently  very 
old.  A  large  earthen  water-jar,  with  a  gourd  beside  it,  stood 
in  the  shade.  The  falceer,  or  holy  man,  from  whom  the  place 
is  named,  was  soon  in  attendance,  and  as  our  camels  knelt 
under  the  tree,  presented  me  with  a  gourd  of  cool  water,  "  in 
the  name  of  God."  I  gave  him  ten  paras  before  we  left,  but  ho 
did  not  appear  to  be  satisfied,  for  these  holy  men  have  great 
expectations.  I  ordered  two  water-skins  filled,  and  after  an 
hour's  delay,  we  entered  on  the  akaba. 

Over  rough  and  stony  ridges,  which  made  hard  travelling 
for  the  camels,  we  came  upon  a  rolling  plain,  bounded  in  the 
distance  by  a  chain  of  hills,  which  we  reached  by  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon.  The  path,  instead  of  seeking  a  pass  or  gorge, 
led  directly  up  the  side,  which,  though  not  very  high,  was 
exceedingly  steep  and  covered  with  loose  sand,  up  which  the 
camels  could  scarcely  climb.  The  top  was  a  stratum  of  red 
porphyry,  cropping  out  of  the  sand  in  immense  masses.  Be- 
hind us  the  dreary  Desert  extended  to  Djebel  Foga  and  the 
mountains  about  the  cataract :  the  palms  of  the  Nile  were  just 
visible  in  the  distance.  Crossing  the  summit  ridge,  we  enter- 
ed  a  narrow  plateau,  surrounded  by  naked  black  peaks — a  most 
savage  and  infernal  landscape.  The  northern  slope  was  com- 
pletely covered  with  immense  porphyry  boulders,  among  which 
our  path  wound.     Nearly  every  rock  had  a  pile  of  small  stones 


464  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

heaped  upon  it,  as  a  guide  to  caravans,  and  merely  for  descend- 
ing this  ridge  there  were  at  least  two  hundred  of  them,  The 
plain  now  extended  away  to  the  north  and  east,  hounded  by  a 
confusion  of  black,  barren  mountains,  out  of  which  rose  two 
lofty  peaks.  Towards  evening  we  met  a  Nubian  family,  with 
their  donkeys,  on  their  way  southward.  They  begged  for 
water,  which  we  gave  them,  as  their  supply  was  entirely  ex- 
hausted. I  found  a  bed  of  hard  gravel  large  enough  for  my 
tent,  but  we  had  great  difficulty  in  driving  the  pegs.  The 
camel-men  selected  the  softest  places  among  the  rocks  for 
their  beds,  but  the  camels  stretched  their  long  necks  on  all 
sides  in  the  vain  search  for  vegetation.  I  sat  at  my  tent  door, 
and  watched  the  short  twilight  of  the  South  gather  over  the 
stony  wilderness,  with  that  strange  feeling  of  happiness  which 
the  contemplation  of  waste  and  desolate  landscapes  always 
inspires.  There  was  not  a  blade  of  grass  to  be  seen ;  the 
rocks,  which  assumed  weird  and  grotesque  forms  in  the  twi- 
light, were  as  black  as  ink;  beyond  my  camp  there  was  no 
life  in  the  Desert  except  the  ostrich  and  the  hyena — yet  I 
would  not  have  exchanged  the  charm  of  that  scene  for  a  bower 
in  the  gardens  of  the  Hesperides. 

The  dawn  was  glimmering  gray  and  cold  when  I  arose,  and 
the  black  summits  of  the  mountains  showed  dimly  through  a 
watery  vapor.  The  air,  however,  was  dry,  though  cool  and 
invigorating,  and  I  walked  ahead  for  two  hours,  singing  and 
shouting  from  the  overflow  of  spirits.  I  hoped  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  Nile  before  mounting  my  dromedary,  but  one 
long  black  ridge  of  stones  rose  after  another,  and  there  was  no 
sudden  flash  of  green  across  the  darkness  of  the  Desert.  At 
last,  towards  noon,  through  a  notch  in  the  drear  and  stony 


THE    STRUGGLE    OF    THE    NILE.  405 

chaos,  the  double  line  of  palms  appeared  in  the  north  east, 
The  river  came  from  the  east,  out  of  the  "black  mountain  wil- 
derness. The  valley  is  very  narrow,  and  cultivation  is  only 
possible  in  the  coves  of  soil  embayed  among  the  hills.  I  came 
down  on  one  of  them — a  meadow  of  halfeh,  back  of  the  little 
village  of  Koyee — and  stopped  an  hour  to  rest  the  camels.  A 
caravan  of  merchants,  bound  for  Kordofan  and  Dar-Fur,-  had 
just  encamped  there,  to  rest  during  the  hot  hours,  according  to 
their  custom.  Among  them  were  some  hadji,  or  pilgrims 
from  Dar-Fur,  on  their  way  home  from  Mecca,  and  a  negro 
from  Fazogl,  who  had  belonged  to  a  European,  and  had  lived 
in  Naples.  He  was  now  free  and  going  home,  wearing  a 
shabby  Frank  dress,  but  without  money,  as  he  came  at  once  to 
beg  of  me.  A  Nubian  woman  came  from  the  huts  near  at 
hand,  bringing  me  a  large  gourd  of  buttermilk,  which  I  shared 
with  the  camel-drivers. 

I  set  the  camels  in  motion  again,  and  we  entered  a  short 
akaba,  in  order  to  cross  a  broad  stony  ridge,  which  advanced 
quite  to  the  river's  edge.  The  path  was  up  and  down  the 
sides  of  steep  hollows,  over  a  terrible  waste  of  stones.  Down 
these  hollows,  which  shelved  towards  the  river,  we  saw  the 
palms  of  the  opposite  bank — a  single  dark-green  line,  backed 
by  another,  wilderness,  equally  savage.  Through  all  this 
country  of  Mahass  the  Desert  makes  a  desperate  effort  to  cut 
off  the  glorious  old  River.  It  flings  rocks  into  its  bed,  squeezes 
him  between  iron  mountains,  compels  him  to  turn  and  twist 
through  a  hundred  labyrinths  to  find  a  passage,  but  he  pushes 
and  winds  his  way  through  all,  and  carries  his  bright  waters 
in  triumph  down  to  his  beloved  Egypt.  There  was,  to  me, 
something  exceedingly  touching  in  watching  his  course  through 
20* 


466  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

that  fragment  of  the  pre- Adamite  chaos — in  seeing  the  type  of 
Beauty  and  Life  stealing  quietly  through  the  heart  of  a  region 
of  Desolation  and  Death.  From  the  stony  slopes  of  the  hills  I 
looked  down  on  his  everlasting  palms  with  the  same  old  joy 
new-created  in  my  heart. 

After  passing  the  akaba,  I  came  to  a  village  which  I  took 
to  he  Soleb,  but  on  inquiring,  the  people  pointed  ahead.  I 
rode  on,  around  a  slight  curve  of  the  trees,  and  was  startled 
by  a  landscape  of  most  unexpected  interest  and  beauty.  Before 
me,  over  the  crest  of  a  black,  rocky  ridge,  a  cluster  of  shatter- 
ed pillars  stood  around  the  falling  doorway  of  a  temple,  the 
whole  forming  a  picturesque  group,  cut  clear  against  the  sky. 
Its  tint  of  soft  yellow-gray,  was  finely  relieved  by  the  dark 
green  of  the  palms  and  the  pure  violet  of  some  distant  jagged 
peaks  on  the  eastern  bank.  Beyond  it,  to  the  west,  three 
peaks  of  white  and  purple  limestone  rock  trembled  in  the  fiery 
glare  from  the  desert  sands.  The  whole  picture,  the  Desert 
excepted,  was  more  Grecian  than  Egyptian,  and  was  perfect  in 
its  forms  and  groupings.  I  know  of  no  other  name  for  the 
ruin  than  the  Temple  of  Soleb.  It  was  erected  by  Amunoph 
III.  or  Memnon,  and  the  Arcadian  character  of  the  landscape 
of  which  it  is  the  central  feature,  harmonized  thoroughly  with 
my  fancy,  that  Amunoph  was  a  poet. 

The  temple  stands  on  the  west  bank,  near  the  river,  and 
from  whatever  point  it  is  viewed,  has  a  striking  effect.  The 
remains  consist  of  a  portico,  on  a  raised  platform,  leading  to  a 
court  once  surrounded  by  pillars.  Then  follows  a  second  and 
more  spacious  portico,  with  a  double  row  of  three  pillars  on 
each  side.  This  opens  upon  a  second  pillared  court,  at  the 
opposite  end  of  which  is  a  massive  doorway,  leading  to  the 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  SOLEB.  467 

adyta  of  the  temple,  now  completely  levelled  to  the  earth.  The 
entire  length  of  the  ruin  is  about  two  hundred  feet.  There 
are  nine  pillars,  with  a  single  block  of  their  architrave,  and 
portions  of  two  of  the  porticoes  still  standing  :  the  remainder 
of  the  temple  is  a  mass  of  ruins.  The  greatest  pains  have  been 
taken  to  destroy  it  completely,  and  all  the  mound  on  which  it 
stands  is  covered  with  huge  blocks,  thrown  one  over  the  other 
in  the  wildest  confusion.  In  one  place,  only,  I  noticed  the 
disjointed  segments  of  a  column,  still  lying  as  they  fell.  The 
pedestals  remain  in  many  places,  so  that  one  can  partially 
restore  the  original  order.  When  complete,  it  must  have  been 
a  majestic  and  imposing  edifice.  The  material  is  the  white 
limestone  of  the  adjacent  mountains,  veined  with  purple 
streaks,  and  now  much  decomposed  from  the  sun  and  rain 
From  the  effect  of  this  decomposition,  the  columns  which 
remain  standing  are  cracked  and  split  in  many  places,  and  in 
the  fissures  thus  made,  numbers  of  little  swallows  and  star- 
lings have  built  their  nests,  where  they  sit  peeping  out  through 
the  sculptures  of  gods.  The  columns  and  doorways  are  cover- 
ed with  figures,  now  greatly  blurred,  though  still  legible.  I 
noticed  a  new  style  of  joining  the  portrait  of  a  monarch  with 
his  cartouche,  the  latter  representing  his  body,  out  of  which 
his  head  and  arms  issued,  like  the  crest  of  a  coat  of  arms. 
The  columns  represent  the  stalks  of  eight  water-plants  bound 
together,  with  a  capital,  or  rather  prolonged  abacus,  like  the 
Osiride  column.  They  are  thirty  feet  in  height,  without  the 
pedestal,  and  five  feet  in  diameter.  This  is  the  sum  of  my 
observations  :  the  rest  belongs  to  the  antiquarian. 

Before  night,  we  passed  a  third  akaba,  to  get  around  the 
limestone  ridge,   which  here  builds  a  buttress  of  naked  rock 


468  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

over  trie  Nile,  and  at  sunset  again  saw  the  palms — but  this 
time  the  renowned  palms  of  Dar  Sukkot,  for  we  had  crossed 
the  border  of  Dar  El-Mahass.  They  lined  the  river  in  a  thick 
grove  of  stems,  with  crowns  of  leafy  luxuriance.  The  village 
of  Noolwee,  scattered  for  half  a  mile  in  their  shade,  was  better 
built  than  any  I  saw  in  Dongola.  Many  of  the  houses  were 
inclosed  in  square  courts,  and  had  a  second  story,  the  massive 
mud  walls  sloping  towards  each  other  like  a  truncated  pyra- 
mid. Achmet,  Ali  and  myself  bought  about  fifty  piastres 
worth  of  the  celebrated  dates  of  Sukkot.  They  were  the 
largest  and  best  flavored  I  ever  saw,  and  are  said  to  preserve 
their  quality  for  years.  They  are  sold  at  a  piastre  for  an 
earthen  measure  containing  about  two  hundred.  When  gath- 
ered, they  are  first  slightly  dried  in  the  large  magazines,  and 
then  buried  in  the  earth.  The  population  of  Sukkot  subsists 
apparently  on  the  profits  of  selling  them,  for  little  else  is  culti- 
vated along  the  river.  Even  here,  nevertheless,  where  the 
people  are  better  able  to  bear  the  grinding  rule  of  Egypt,  one 
meets  with  deserted  fields  and  ruined  dwellings.  The  King 
of  El-Mahass  informed  me,  when  in  Khartoum,  that  his  people 
were  obliged  to  pay  six  hundred  piastres  (thirty  dollars)  tax 
on  each  water-mill,  being  just  double  the  lawful  amount, 
(which,  alone,  is  very  oppressive),  and  that  his  country  was 
fast  becoming  depopulated,  in  consequence. 

On  the  following  day  I  passed  the  large  island  of  Sai.  The 
country  here  is  more  open  and  the  Nile  has  a  less  vexed  course. 
The  mountains,  especially  the  lofty  blue  mass  of  Djebel  Abyr, 
have  not  the  forced  and  violent  forms  common  to  the  porphyry 
formation.  Their  outlines  are  long,  sloping,  and  with  that 
Blight  but  exquisite  undulation  which  so  charmed  me  in  the 


A    SEA    OF    SAND.  469 

hills  of  Arcadia,  in  Greece,  and  in  Monte  Albano  near  Rome. 
Their  soft,  clear,  pale-violet  hue  showed  with  the  loveliest 
effect  behind  the  velvety  green  of  the  thick  palm  clusters, 
which  were  parted  here  and  there  by  gleams  of  the  bright  blue 
river.  From  the  northern  end  of  Sai,  the  river  gradually 
curves  to  the  east.  The  western  shore  is  completely  invaded 
by  the  sands,  and  the  road  takes  a  wide  sweep  inland  to  avoid 
the  loose,  sliding  drifts  piled  up  along  the  bank.  We  had  not 
gone  far  before  we  found  a  drift  of  brilliant  yellow  sand  thirty 
feet  high  and  two  hundred  yards  in  length,  lying  exactly  across 
our  road.  It  had  evidently  been  formed  within  a  few  days. 
It  was  almost  precisely  crescent-shaped,  and  I  could  not  account 
for  the  action  of  the  wind  in  building  such  a  mound  on  an  open 
plain,  which  elsewhere  was  entirely  free  from  sand.  We 
rounded  it  and  soon  afterwards  entered  on  a  region  of  sand, 
where  to  the  west  and  north  the  rolling  yellow  waves  extended 
to  the  horizon,  unbroken  by  a  speck  of  any  other  color.  It 
was  a  boundless,  fathomless  sea  of  sand  to  the  eye,  which  could 
scarcely  bear  the  radiated  light  playing  over  its  hot  surface. 
The  day  (for  a  wonder)  was  somewhat  overcast,  and  as  the 
shadows  of  small  clouds  followed  one  another  rapidly  over  the 
glaring  billows,  they  seemed  to  heave  and  roll  like  those  of  the 
sea.  I  was  foroed  to  turn  away  my  head,  faint  and  giddy 
with  the  sight.  My  camels  tugged  painfully  through  this 
region,  and  after  two  hours  we  reached  a  single  sont  tree, 
standing  beside  a  well,  and  called  sugger  el-abd  (the  Tree  of 
the  Slave).  It  was  pointed  out  by  the  camel-men  as  being 
half-way  between  El  Ordee  and  Wadi  Haifa. 

We  journeyed  on  all  the  afternoon  through  a  waste  of  sandy 
and  stony  ridges,  and  as  night  drew  near,  I  became  anxious  to 


470  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

reach  the  river,  no  trace  of  which  could  be  seen.  I  rode  up 
one  of  the  highest  ridges,  and  lo  !  there  were  the  tops  of  the 
date-groves  in  a  hollow,  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  on 
my  right.  The  camels'  heads  were  soon  turned  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  I  encamped  at  once  on  the  bank,  where  my  beasts 
found  sufficient  grass  and  thorns  for  the  first  time  in  three 
days.  The  river  here  flows  in  a  deep  channel,  buried  among 
the  hills,  and  there  is  neither  cultivation  nor  population  on  the 
western  bank.  On  the  opposite  side  there  was  a  narrow  strip 
of  soil,  thickly  planted  with  date-trees. 

My  camel-men  kindled  a  fire  in  the  splendid  moonlight,  and 
regaled  themselves  with  the  hind-quarters  of  a  hyena,  which 
they  roasted  in  the  coals  and  devoured  with  much  relish.  I 
had  curiosity  enough  to  eat  a  small  piece,  which  was  well* 
flavored  though  tough.  The  Nile  roared  grandly  below  our 
camp  all  night,  in  the  pauses  of  the  wind. 


Abou-Sin,  my  Dromedary. 


CHAPTER     XXXVI. 

THE        B  A  T  N        EL-HADJAR. 

The  Bate  El-IIadjar,  or  Belly  of  Stone — Ancient  Granite  Quarries — The  Village  of 
Dal — A  Ruined  Fortress — A  Wilderness  of  Stones — The  Hot  Springs  of  Ukme — A 
Windy  Night— A  Dreary  Day  in  the  Desert— The  Shekh's  Camel  Fails— Descent  to 
Samneh — The  Temple  and  Cataract — Meersheh — The  Sale  of  Abou-Sin— We 
Emerge  from  the  Belly  of  Stone — A  Kababish  Caravan — The  Rock  of  Abou-Seer — 
View  of  the  Second  Cataract— We  reach  Wadi-IIalfa— Selling  my  Dromedaries- 
Farewell  to  Abou-Sin — Thanksgiving  on  the  Ferry-boat — Parting  with  the  Camel- 


On  the  sixth  day  after  leaving  Dongola  I  passed  through 
Sukkot,  and  reached  the  commencement  of  Batn  El-Hadjar — 
The  Belly  of  Stone — as  the  savage  mountain  country  for   a 


<±lL  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

hundred  miles  south  of  the  Second  Cataract  is  termed.  "With 
each  day  the  road  became  more  rough  and  toilsome,  and  my 
camels  moved  more  languidly.  In  spite  of  the  fatigue  which 
we  all  endured,  I  felt  so  much  strengthened  by  our  free  life 
and  so  much  interested  in  the  remarkable  country  through 
which  we  were  passing,  that  I  felt  something  like  regret  on 
approaching  the  southern  limit  of  travel  on  the  Nile.  Not  so 
my  dragoman  and  servant,  who  could  not  enough  thank  God 
and  the  Prophet  for  having  taken  them  in  safety  through 
countries  which  they  deemed  the  verge  of  the  world.  Achmet 
positively  declared  he  would  never  make  the  trip  again,  for  no 
second  journey  could  be  equally  fortunate.  My  camel-men,  I 
found,  had  never  before  travelled  to  "VVadi  Haifa  by  the  west- 
ern bank,  but  by  a  wonderful  Arab  instinct,  they  never  went 
astray  from  the  road. 

The  Batn  El-Hadjar  marks  its  commencement  by  a  range 
of  granite  hills,  which  break  the  river  into  a  foaming  cataract. 
After  leaving  camp,  our  road  lay  along  the  Nile,  behind  some 
high  sand-hills.  In  front  of  us  appeared  Djebel  Ufeer,  a  peak 
about  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  height,  its  naked  sides  tinted  of  a 
deep,  rich  purple  hue  by  the  glowing  air.  The  Nile  flows 
directly  towards  its  base,  making  a  slight  curve,  as  if  to  pass 
it  on  the  eastern  side,  but  finding  the  granite  rocks  heaped 
together  too  thickly,  changes  its  course  and  washes  the  western 
foot  of  the  mountain.  The  granite  lies  scattered  about  in  vast 
masses,  taking  all  sorts  of  quaint  and  fanciful  shapes.  The 
hills  themselves  are  merely  collections  of  boulders  of  all  sizes, 
from  three  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  piled  on  an  enormous 
bed  or  stratum  of  the  same.  Intermixed  with  this  are  beds 
of  a  rich  yellowish-red  granite,  which  crops  out  under  the  piles 


GRANITE    QUARRIES DAL.  4i3 

of  gray,  and  has  been  worked,  wherever  it  appears  in  large 
masses.  The  traces  of  the  ancient  quarrymen  still  remain,  in 
the  blocks  bearing  marks  of  the  wooden  wedges  by  which  they 
were  split.  In  one  place  I  noticed  two  fragments  of  a  column, 
similar  to  those  in  the  palace  at  Old  Dongola.  The  granite  is 
equal  in  quality  and  still  more  abundant  than  that  at  Assouan, 
but  was  only  quarried  to  a  limited  extent.  The  aspect  of  the 
country  is  rugged  in  the  highest  degree,  and  how  the  Nile  gets 
through  it  became  more  and  more  a  wonder  to  me.  His  bed 
is  deep-sunken  between  enormous  stone-piles,  back  of  which  are 
high  stone  mountains,  and  wherever  there  is  a  hollow  between 
them,  it  is  filled  with  sand.  The  only  vegetation  was  a  few 
bunches  of  miserable  grass,  and  some  of  those  desert  shrubs 
which  grow  at  the  very  doors  of  Tartarus,  so  tenacious  of  life  are 
they.  A  narrow  shelf,  on  the  opposite  bank,  high  above  the 
river,  bore  the  renowned  palm  of  Sukkot,  and  frequently  in  the 
little  coves  I  saw  the  living  green  of  the  young  wheat.  The 
steep  banks  were  planted  with  lupins,  as  the  people  there  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  hippopotami. 

While  I  was  breakfasting  off  a  great  granite  table,  a  man 
who  rode  by  on  a  donkey  cheered  me  with  the  news  that  the 
village  of  Dal  was  but  a  short  distance  ahead.  I  had  fixed 
upon  this  as  our  resting-place  for  the  night,  but  on  finding  it 
so  near,  resolved  to  push  on  to  some  natural  hot  springs  and 
ruins  of  ancient  baths,  which  the  camel-men  had  informed  me 
were  about  four  hours  further,  to  the  right  of  the  caravan 
track.  At  Dal,  however,  a  difficult  aliaba  commences,  and  my 
camels  already  marched  so  slowly  and  wearily  that  I  judged 
it  best  to  stop  and  give  them  a  little  rest.  About  the  village 
there  are  some  scattering  doum  and  date-palms,  which  lead  a 


4*74  JOURNEY'  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

hard  existence,  half  buried  in  sand  and  choked  with  the  old 
leaves,  which  the  natives  are  too  idle  to  prune.  The  people 
were  in  the  fields,  cutting  some  wheat  which  was  just  ripe,  and 
two  sakias,  shaded  by  clusters  of  palms,  watered  a  few  patches 
of  cotton.  I  made  inquiries,  but  had  much  difficulty  in  finding 
the  location  of  the  hot  springs.  Finally,  one  of  the  men  con- 
sented to  become  my  guide  in  the  morning,  and  conducted  us 
to  a  camping-ground,  where  there  was  a  little  grass  for  the 
camels.  Lured  by  the  promise  of  backsheesh,  he  brought  me 
the  leanest  of  young  sheep,  which  I  purchased  for  eight  pias- 
tres. The  night  was  calm,  cool  and  delicious,  and  steeped  my 
whole  frame  in  balm,  after  the  burning  day.  The  moon,  near- 
ly full,  shone  with  a  gray  and  hazy  lustre,  and  some  insect 
that  shrilled  like  a  tree-toad,  reminded  me  of  home. 

Our  Dallee  guide,  Hadji  Mohammed,  as  he  was  called, 
from  having  made  two  pilgrimages  to  Mecca,  was  on  hand  be- 
fore sunrise.  Starting  in  advance  of  the  caravan,  I  walked 
along  the  river-bank,  towards  a  castellated  building  on  an  emi- 
nence which  I  had  noticed  the  previous  evening,  while  sketch- 
ing the  landscape.  My  path  was  over  huge  beds  of  gray 
granite,  from  which  the  old  Egyptians  might  have  cut  obelisks 
of  a  single  block,  not  only  one  hundred,  but  five  hundred  feet 
in  length.  The  enormous  masses  which  had  been  separated 
from  these  beds  and  rolled  into  rounded  masses  by  the  chafing 
of  primeval  floods,  lay  scattered  on  the  surface,  singly,  or  piled 
in  fantastic  groups.  The  building  was  a  large  fortress  of 
stones  and  clay,  with  massive  walls,  on  the  summit  of  an 
island-like  peak  overhanging  the  river,  and  separated  from  the 
bank  by  a  deep  chasm,  which  is  filled  with  water  during  the 
inundations,  but  was  then  dry,  and  its  sides  green  with  wheat 


A    WILDERNESS    OF    STONES.  475 

and  beans.  Wild  doum-palms,  hanging  heavy  with  green  fruit, 
grew  in  the  patches  of  soil  among  the  rocks  and  overhung  the 
ravine.  The  fortress  wTas  a  very  picturesque  object,  writh  its 
three  square  towers,  backed  by  the  roariDg  flood  and  the  dark 
violet-blue  crags  of  Djebel  Meme  behind  The  forms  of  the 
landscape — except  the  palms — were  all  of  the  far  North,  but 
the  coloring  wTas  that  of  the  ripe  and  glowing  South.  I  was  so 
absorbed  in  the  scene,  that  the  caravan  passed  unnoticed,  hav- 
ing taken  a  path  further  from  the  river.  After  wandering 
about  for  some  time,  I  climbed  one  of  the  granite  piles  and 
scanned  the  country  in  all  directions,  but  could  see  nothing. 
Finally  I  descried  a  distant  trail,  and  on  reaching  it,  recog- 
nized the  tracks  of  my  camels.  I  hurried  on,  and  in  half  an 
hour  met  Hadji  Mohammed  and  one  of  my  camel-men,  coming 
back  in  great  tribulation,  fearful  that  I  was  lost. 

Near  the  Cataract  of  Dal,  an  akaba  commences,  which  ex- 
tends to  the  village  of  Ukme,  in  the  Batn  el-Hadjar,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  fifteen  miles.  We  passed  behind  some  peaks  of 
black  porphyry,  whose  shoulders  wrere  covered  with  steep,  slid- 
ing drifts  of  yellow  sand,  and  travelled  on  through  a  wilder- 
ness of  stones.  All  the  refuse  odds  and  ends  of  Creation — 
the  pieces  left  after  the  rocks  and  mountains  of  the  rest  of  the 
world  were  fashioned — have  been  thrown  together  here.  It 
was  a  sea  of  black  stone-mounds,  out  of  wrhich  rose  occasional 
peaks  of  still  blacker  stone.  Through  this  we  passed  into  a 
region  of  gray  stone  and  then  into  anothei  of  red  stone,  jour- 
neying for  four  hours  up  one  mound  and  down  another,  by 
paths  and  no  paths,  which  were  most  laborious  for  our  camels. 
I  began  to  be  fearful  we  should  never  get  out  of  the  geological 
labyrinth  into  which  the  hadji   conducted  us,  but  the  majestic 


476  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

range  of  Djebel  El-Lam ool,  beyond  the  Nile,  served  him  as  a 
guide.  He  looked  occasionally  towards  a  bastion-like  projec- 
tion in  the  sheer  walls  of  porphyry,  and  at  last,  when  I  was 
quite  tired  and  famished,  took  us  up  a  ridge  whence  I  saw  the 
river  again  below  us.  The  road  into  the  valley  was  next  to 
impracticable,  but  our  camels  stumbled  and  scrambled  and  slid 
till  they  reached  the  ledge  of  halfeh  overhanging  the  river. 
Below  us  was  a  square  mass  of  burnt  brick,  about  ten  feet  in 
height — part  of  a  building  long  since  destroyed.  u  Here  is 
the  bath,"  said  the  hadji.  We  dismounted,  and  he  conducted 
us  to  the  foot  of  the  ruin,  where,  in  a  hole  in  the  earth,  a 
spring  of  water  bubbled  up  profusely,  and  trickled  away, 
through  a  trough  of  stones.  There  was  an  end  of  my  antici- 
pations of  a  refreshing  bath,  for  which  I  had  come  prepared. 
The  water  was  hot  enough,  in  truth  (131°),  and  I  could  not 
bear  my  hand  below  the  surface.  Under  the  bank,  a  dozen 
springs  with  a  smaller  flow  of  water,  oozed  through  the  soil, 
which  was  covered  with  a  whitish  deposit  in  places.  To  atone 
for  my  disappointment,  I  took  breakfast  in  the  shadow  of  the 
ruined  wall,  while  my  camel-men  bathed  themselves  in  the  wa- 
ter, with  many  exclamations  of  "  Bismillahi  /"  (In  the  name 
of  Grocl).  The  hadji  then  left  us,  and  we  followed  the  Nile 
past  the  cataracts  of  Song  and  Tangoori,  which  latter  we  heard 
all  night,  roaring  grandly  between  the  gusts  of  wind. 

During  the  night  the  wind  blew  violently,  and  I  had  great 
fears  that  my  tent  would  come  down  about  my  ears.  I  heaped 
the  sand  against  it  on  the  outside,  for  further  protection,  but 
every  thing  within  was  so  covered  that  its  original  color  could 
no  longer  be  discerned.  The  moon  shone  between  wild  and 
stormy  clouds,  and  all  signs  betokened  a  gust  of  rain.     We 


A    DREARY    DAY    IN    THE    DESERT.  477 

took  more  than  ordinary  precautions  in  the  disposition  of  our 
baggage,  as  this  part  of  the  road  was  much  infested  with  ma- 
rauding bands  of  Kababish,  who  came  from  the  side  of  Dar- 
Fur  and  plundered  the  inhabitants  along  the  river,  as  well  as 
small  caravans.  I  trusted  in  the  protection  afforded  by  my 
tent,  which,  from  its  appearance,  would  be  taken  as  belonging 
to  an  officer  of  the  government. 

On  the  eighth  day  we  rose — for  the  first  time  in  all  my 
African  travel — in  a  cold,  raw  and  cloudy  dawn.  Fortunately 
for  us,  a  company  of  merchants,  bound  for  Wadi-IIalfa,  passed 
at  daybreak,  for  we  entered  on  an  akaba  of  unknown  length, 
and  the  wind  had  blown  so  violently  within  the  last  few  days 
that  the  old  caravan  trail  was  not  to  be  found.  The  country 
was  a  wilderness  even  more  drear  than  those  we  had  passed 
On  climbing  the  long  stony  surges,  I  sometimes  flattered  my- 
self with  the  hope  of  seeing  beyond  the  Desert ;  but  no — I 
had  only  a  more  extended  horizon.  Long,  shadowy  streaks  01 
rain  swept  along  the  eastern  horizon,  and  the  mountain  chains 
which  lay  agaiust  them  were  colored  the  darkest  and  intensest 
shade  of  violet — precisely  that  of  the  lower  leaves  of  the  pansy. 
As  we  advanced,  the  air  grew  colder,  and  a  shower  of  large, 
scattering  drops  passed  over  us.  The  camels  shrank  and  trem- 
bled, and  my  men  crept  behind  them  for  shelter.  Though  it 
was  a  satisfaction  to  know  that  those  African  skies  can  rain 
sometimes,  I  was  soon  so  benumbed  as  to  need  my  capote. 
The  temperature  was  perhaps  not  lower  than  G0°,  yet  I  felt  it 
severely.  About  ten  o'clock,  the  shekh's  camel,  which  had  be- 
fore shown  symptoms  of  fatigue,  lay  down  and  refused  to  go 
further.  As  it  was  impossible  to  stop  in  the  Desert,  I  dis- 
tributed its  load  among  the  other  four,  and  ordered  him  to 


478  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

drive  it  loose  behind  us.  This,  however,  was  of  no  avail,  and 
at  last  he  concluded  to  wait  till  it  had  rested  a  little.  I  gave 
him  the  water  skin,  and  we  pushed  on.  Half  an  hour  af 
terwards,  when  I  was  eating  breakfast  under  the  lee  of  a 
sand-hill,  Ali,  who  had  remained  behind  with  him,  came  upt 
saying  they  had  examined  the  camel  and  decided  that  it  was 
sick.  The  shekh  thereupon  wept  most  vehemently,  fearing  it 
would  die,  and  turned  about  with  it  to  make  his  way  home. 
Ali  lent  him  a  dollar  and  promised  to  take  him  the  rest  of  the 
money  due  him.  The  other  men  were  quite  downcast  by  the 
shekh's  misfortune.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done,  how- 
ever, but  to  push  ahead,  as  the  other  camels  were  well  nigh 
worn  out. 

We  kept  on  all  the  afternoon,  with  the  cold  wind  blowing 
in  our  faces,  and  occasionally  a  shower  of  colder  rain  dashed 
upon  us.  The  road  ascended  until  towards  noon,  when  we 
passed  through  a  gateway  between  two  peaks  of  granite,  whose 
loose  masses  threatened  to  topple  down  the  sides  and  crush  us. 
Then  for  three  or  four  hours  we  travelled  over  more  elevated 
ranges,  from  the  crests  of  which  we  had  wide  glimpses  over  the 
terrible  tract,  yet  could  see  nothing  but  sand  and  stones — stones 
and  sand.  In  the  east  a  long  mountain-range  lay  dark  and 
distant,  under  the  shadow  of  the  rain-clouds,  and  it  was  some 
comfort  to  know  that  it  was  beyond  the  Nile.  As  night  ap- 
proached, I  feared  we  should  be  obliged  to  camp  in  the  akaba, 
and  without  water,  but  after  ten  hours  of  most  wearisome 
travel,  we  reached  a  ridge,  whence  we  looked  into  a  vast  basin 
of  rocky  hills,  between  us  and  the  mountains,  whose  long  chain 
of  jagged  peaks,  touched  with  the  full  yellow  light  of  the  set- 
ting sun,  stood  against  the  black  gust  that  rolled  away  beyond 


TEMPLE    AND    CATARACT    OF    SAMNEH.  479 

theiu  into  the  Great  Nubian  Desert.  The  Nile  was  not  to  be 
seen,  yet  deep  in  the  centre  of  this  landscape,  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  some  thorny  bushes,  which  our  further  descent 
showed  to  be  near  the  village  and  cataract  of  Samneh.  The 
bed  of  the  river  was  filled  with  masses  of  black  rock,  and  the 
cataract,  just  below  the  village,  roared  magnificently  all 
through  the  night.  The  wind  blew  again,  and  so  violently, 
that  I  awoke  with  my  ears,  mouth  and  nostrils  filled  with  sand. 
The  morning  was  cold,  with  a  violent  wind,  but  I  strength- 
ened my  camels  with  an  abundant  feed  of  bean-vines  and  dour 
ra,  and  set  off  early.  I  walked  ahead  to  the  temple  of  Sam- 
neh, which  stands  on  a  rocky  eminence  above  the  cataract. 
The  hill  is  surrounded  with  the  remains  of  a  massive  brick 
wall,  and  there  are  traces  of  a  road  leading  to  the  summit. 
The  temple  is  quite  small,  and  of  simple  though  graceful  de- 
sign, containing  only  one  chamber,  at  the  end  of  which  a  head- 
less statue  lies  on  its  back.  From  the  little  portico  in  front 
there  is  a  fine  view  of  the  gorge  through  which  the  river  breaks. 
A  broad  stratum  of  porphyry  crosses  his  bed,  broken  only  in 
the  centre  by  a  gap  or  flood-gate,  not  twenty  yards  across. 
Through  this  the  whole  force  of  his  current  is  poured,  and  at 
the  time  of  my  visit,  when  the  water  was  low,  he  seemed  but  a 
pigmy  flood.  In  fact,  for  a  mile  or  two  below  this  cataract, 
there  is  scarcely  any  point  in  all  his  tortuous  and  difficult 
course  where  one  might  not  throw  a  stone  across.  After  leav- 
ing the  temple,  our  road  led  over  the  desolate  stony  hills,  high 
above  the  river's  bed.  We  looked  down  into  the  deep  and 
narrow  defile  through  which  he  flows,  and  which  his  waters 
scarcely  brightened  or  cheered,  for  there  was  no  vegetation  on 
his  banks  except  now  and  then  a  bunch  of  halfeh  grass  or  a 


480  JOURNEV    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

few  stunted  thorns.  The  air  was  so  bracing  that  I  felt  no 
more  fatigue,  but  only  regret,  that  the  journey  was  so  near  its 
close.  Old  Mohammed  walked  ahead,  singing  his  accustomed 
song  :  "  Koollco  nasee  fee  djennatee,  tefoddhel,  ya  er-ra]rfi- 
man  !  "  (0  Most  Merciful,  grant  that  all  my  people  may  enter 
thy  Heavens  !)  Thus  we  travelled  all  day,  and  towards  even- 
ing came  down  to  the  Nile  again  at  the  little  village  of  Meer- 
eheh. 

This  place  is  a  beautiful  little  oasis  in  the  midst  of  the 
savage  Belly  of  Stone.  The  Nile  has  a  more  gentle  current, 
and  his  banks  have  room  enough  for  some  groves  of  luxuriant 
date-trees,  and  fields  of  wheat  and  cotton.  My  tent  was 
pitched  beside  the  rustling  palms,  and  I  sat  down  with  a  glad 
heart  and  a  full  pipe,  on  the  last  night  of  my  long  and  toil- 
some journey  by  land.  During  the  evening  one  of  the  natives 
took  a  fancy  to  my  Abou-Sin,  and  made  numerous  small  offers 
for  the  purchase  of  him.  I  refused,  preferring  to  send  him  on 
to  Assouan,  but  in  the  morning  the  man  came  again,  and  at 
last,  with  many  struggles,  raised  his  price  to  one  hundred  and 
ninety  piastres,  whereupon  I  thought  it  best  to  sell  and  so 
avoid  all  further  trouble.  I  stipulated,  however,  that  Abou- 
Sin  was  to  be  delivered  to  him  at  Wadi-Halfa,  and  that  he 
should  accompany  us  thither  on  the  morrow.  The  night  was 
intensely  cold,  although  the  air  was  probably  not  below  60° 
I  could  hardly  bear  the  coldness  of  the  water  in  the  morning 
It  stung  my  burnt  face  like  fire,  and  increased  the  pains  of  my 
unfortunate  cracked  nose.  The  Barabras  brought  me  some 
milk  for  my  coffee  in  a  basket  of  closely-plaited  grass,  smeared 
with  grease  on  tne  inside.  It  precisely  resembled  those  bas- 
kets made  by  the  Indians  of  California,  which  will  carry  water. 


A    KABABISH    CARAVAN.  481 

The  milk,  however,  had  a  taste  of  the  rancid  grease,  which 
prevented  me  from  drinking  much  of  it. 

We  arose  shivering  in  the  early  dawn,  and  for  the  last  time 
put  the  loads  on  our  fagged  and  unwilling  camels.  Soon  after 
starting,  I  saw  ahead,  through  a  gateway  of  black  porphyry 
rocks,  the  long,  yellow  sand-hills  of  the  Libyan  Desert,  like 
those  which  line  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile,  from  Assouan 
to  Korosko.  This  was  a  joyful  token  that  we  had  reached  the 
end  of  the  savage  Batn  El-Hadjar.  As  we  were  travelling 
over  the  rolling  upland  of  yellow  sand,  enjoying  the  view  of 
the  wild  frontier  of  the  Belly  of  Stone,  out  of  which  we  had 
just  issued,  a  large  caravan  of  Kababish  Arabs,  returning 
towards  Dar-Fur  with  empty  camels,  met  us.  There  were 
upwards  of  fifty  camels  and  thirty  men — half-naked  savages, 
with  projecting  features,  wild  eyes,  and  a  wilderness  of  hair  on 
their  heads.  The  Kababish  were  easily  distinguished  by  their 
long  plaits,  laid  close  to  the  head,  and  smeared  with  fat.  The 
others,  who  had  enormous  masses  of  wool,  standing  out  in  all 
directions  for  a  foot  or  more,  were  probably  Howoweet,  from 
the  side  of  Dar-Fur.  We  asked  the  distance  to  Wadi  Haifa, 
and  were  answered  writh  the  universal  "  Jtassa"  (just  now  !) 
whereby  these  people  designate  any  indefinite  period  of  time. 

After  three  or  four  hours,  I  began  to  look  out  for  Abou- 
Seer,  a  lofty  cliff  to  which  travellers  repair  for  a  bird's-eye 
view  of  the  Second  Cataract — to  them  the  turning  point  of 
their  Nile  journey,  to  me  the  termination  of  my  long  mid- 
African  rambles,  and  the  commencement  of  my  return  to  the 
living  world.  Our  road  was  a  mile  or  two  behind  the  river, 
and  as  Achmet  had  only  visited  the  mountain  from  the  side  of 
Wadi  Haifa,  he  could  not  serve  as  a  guide.  I  turned  into  the 
21 


482  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

hills,  taking  him,  Mohammed  and  Ali,  and  leaving  the  other 
man  to  go  on  with  the  baggage  camels.  We  wandered  for 
some  time  over  the  rough  ridges,  and  at  last  reached  a  spur 
of  the  hills  which  Achmet  took  to  be  Abou-Seer,  but  which 
was  not  it.  I  was  so  hungry  that  I  stopped  for  breakfast,  and 
before  I  had  finished,  Ali,  who  was  overflowing  with  joy  at  the 
idea  of  reaching  Wadi  Haifa,  came  to  me  with  the  news  that 
he  had  been  climbing  a  high  point,  whence  he  could  see  the 
end  of  the  mountains.  The  Nile,  beyond,  he  said,  was  broad 
and  smooth,  and  there  were  more  date-trees  than  he  had  seen 
since  leaving  Sukkot.  I  left  him  to  ride  my  Abou-Sin,  and 
walked  on  to  the  peak  he  had  climbed.  As  I  reached  its  base, 
however,  I  saw  that  the  true  headland  projected  still  further 
beyond,  terminating  in  a  cone-like  summit.  As  I  came  out 
from  among  the  hills  behind  it,  the  view  suddenly  opened 
before  me  far  to  the  north  and  east,  and  I  saw  the  long  date- 
groves  of  Wadi  Haifa  apparently  at  my  feet. 

Abou-Seer  is  a  cliff  of  calcareous  rock,  and  its  base  is  com- 
pletely covered  with  the  names  of  tourists  who  have  visited  it. 
Achmet  wanted  me  to  add  my  name  to  theirs,  but  as  I  had 
brought  no  hammer  and  chisel  from  Cairo,  like  most  travellers, 
I  could  not  gratify  him.  A  few  steps  took  me  to  the  summit 
of  the  cliff,  which  drops  on  the  eastern  side  in  a  sheer  preci- 
pice to  the  water's  edge.  It  is  at  least  three  hundred  feet  in 
perpendicular  height,  and  as  it  forms  the  corner  of  the  range, 
the  view  on  three  sides  is  uninterrupted  for  many  leagues. 
The  panorama  is  truly  grand,  and  probably  unlike  any  other 
in  the  world.  To  the  south  the  mountains  of  the  Batn  El- 
Hadjar  rise  like  a  black  wall,  out  of  which  the  Nile  forces  its 
way,  not  in  a  broad  sheet,  but  in  a  hundred   vexed   streams, 


THE    SECOND    CATARACT.  483 

gurgling  up  amid  chaotic  heaps  of  rocks  as  if  from  subterra- 
nean sources,  foaming  and  fretting  their  difficult  way  round 
endless  islands  and  reefs,  meeting  and  separating,  seeking 
every  where  an  outlet  and  finding  none,  till  at  last,  as  if  weary 
of  the  long  contest,  the  rocks  recede,  and  the  united  waters 
spread  themselves  out,  sluggish  and  exhausted,  on  the  sands 
below.  It  is  a  wonderful  picture  of  strife  between  two  mate 
rial  forces,  but  so  intricate  and  labyrinthine  in  its  features, 
that  the  eye  can  scarcely  succeed  in  separating  them,  or  in 
viewing  it  other  than  as  a  whole.  The  streams,  in  their  thou- 
sand windings,  appear  to  flow  towards  all  points  of  the  compass, 
and  from  their  continual  noise  and  motion  on  all  sides,  the 
whole  fantastic  wilderness  of  rock  seems  to  heave  and  tug,  as 
it  is  throttled  by  the  furious  waters.  This  is  the  last  great 
struggle  and  triumph  of  the  Nile.  Henceforth,  his  tortured 
waters  find  repose.  He  goes  down  to  Egypt  as  a  conquerer, 
crowned  with  a  double  majesty  after  all  his  toils.  Is  it  to  be 
wondered  at,  that  the  ancient  race  which  existed  by  his  bounty, 
should  worship  him  as  a  God  ? 

But  by  this  time  we  saw  our  baggage-camels,  like  specks  on 
the  sand,  approaching  Wadi  Haifa.  Ali,  unable  to  contain 
himself,  started  off  on  a  run,  and  we  soon  lost  sight  of  him.  I 
mounted  my  faithful  big  dromedary,  Abou-Sin,  and  after  two 
more  hours  on  his  lofty  hump,  dismounted  at  the  ferry-place, 
opposite  Wadi  Haifa,  never,  alas !  to  mount  him  again.  A 
boat  with  a  company  of  merchants  from  Cairo  had  just  arrived, 
and  the  sailors  were  unloading  their  packages  of  merchandise. 
The  merchants  came  up  and  saluted  me,  and  could  scarcely 
believe  that  I  had  been  so  far  as  the  White  Nile.  They  were 
bound  for  Dongola,  and   one  of  them,  learning  that  my  brown 


484  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

dromedary  was  for  sale,  offered  to  buy  it.  Achmet  conducted 
the  business  for  me,  for  the  bargaining  lasted  at  least  two 
hours,  before  the  purchaser  succeeded  in  slowly  struggling  up 
to  a  decent  price.  The  Barabra  who  had  bought  Abou-Sin 
was  also  on  hand,  to  ratify  the  bargain,  and  I  was  thus  saved 
from  the  necessity  of  sending  the  animals  to  the  markets  of 
Assouan.  I  must  do  both  the  men  the  justice  to  say  that  they 
afterwards  made  every  exertion  to  cheat  me,  in  the  way  of 
counting  money  <md  offering  bad  pieces,  and  at  last  gave  a 
large  pile  of  copper  coin,  which,  when  it  was  counted,  lacked 
two  piastres  of  the  right  amount.  When  all  was  finished,  1 
delivered  Abou-Sin  into  the  hands  of  his  rascally  new  master, 
with  a  sorrowful  heart,  for  the  old  fellow  and  I  were  good 
friends.  Had  he  known  we  were  to  be  separated,  I  am  sure 
those  large  black  eyes  of  his  would  have  dropped  a  few  tears, 
and  that  capacious  throat  gurgled  out  a  sound  of  lamentation. 
Achmet  threw  his  arms  around  the  beast's  big  head  and  kissed 
him  tenderly.  I  was  about  to  do  the  same  thing,  when  I 
remembered  that  the  never-sweating  skin  of  a  dromedary 
exhales  not  the  freshest  of  odors,  and  preferred  caressing  him 
with  my  hand  rather  than  my  lips.  So  farewell  to  Abou-Sin, 
and  may  he  never  want  dourra  and  bean-vines,  nor  complain 
under  too  heavy  loads  :  and  should  he  die  soon  (for  he  is 
waxing  in  years),  may  some  son  of  his  strong  loins  be  there  to 
carry  me,  when  next  I  visit  Central  Africa ! 

My  arrival  at  Wadi  Haifa  terminated  the  journey  of  thirty- 
four  days  from  Khartoum.  In  that  time  my  little  caravan 
had  travelled  between  eight  and  nine  hundred  miles,  and  at 
least  half  of  it  as  rough  travelling  as  can  be  found  in  Africa. 
Now  we  were  beyond  danger  and  done  with  fatigue,  and  could 


THANKSGIVING    AND    PARTING.  485 

look  forward  to  seeing  Cairo  in  another  month.  Not  until  we 
were  all  seated  in  the  ferry-boat,  crossing  from  the  opposite 
bank,  did  I  fairly  realize  that  our  severe  journey  was  over. 
The  camels  were  left  behind,  the  baggage  piled  up  on  board, 
and  as  we  were  rowed  slowly  across  the  river,  it  suddenly 
flashed  through  my  mind  that  the  same  gentle  motion  of  oars 
and  waves  was  thenceforth  to  rock  me  all  the  way  to  Cairo. 
I  drew  a  long  breath,  and  fervently  ejaculated  :  "  el  hamdu 
lillah  / "  to  which  the  others,  as  in  duty  bound,  responded. 
Achmet,  who  usually  postponed  his  prayers  until  he  reached 
home,  recited  a  chapter  from  the  Koran,  and  Ali,  who  never 
prayed,  broke  into  sailor-songs  by  starts,  and  laughed  continu- 
ally, from  inward  delight. 

After  my  tent  was  pitched  on  the  beach,  I  called  my  camel- 
men,  Ali  and  Mohammed,  who  had  crossed  with  me,  and  gave 
them  each  the  forty  piastres  still  due,  with  a  Maria  Theresa 
dollar — abou-zcrar,  or  the  Father  of  Buttons,  as  this  coin  is 
called  in  Central  Africa,  from  the  button  which  clasps  the 
drapery  on  the  Empress's  shoulder — as  backsheesh.  The  men 
were  delighted,  and  kissed  my  hand,  in  token  of  gratitude.  I 
gave  them  also  the  money  for  the  shekh,  and  took  leave  of 
them  with  the  exclamation  :  "  May  God  grant  you  a  prosper- 
ous return  to  your  country  !  "  They  replied,  warmly :  "  May 
God  prolong  your  clays,  0  Effendi ! "  and  as  they  moved  away, 
I  overheard  old  Mohammed  again  declare  to  Achmet :  "  Wal- 
lah, but  this  is  a  good  Frank !  He  certainly  has  Islam  in  his 
heart!" 


486  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

THE      ROCK      TEMPLES      OF      ABOU-SIMBEL, 

Wad.  Haifa— A  Boat  for  Assouan — We  Embark  on  the  Nile  Again — An  Egyptian 
Dream— The  Temples  of  Abou-Simbel— The  Smaller  Temple— The  Colossi  of 
Remeses  II.— Vulgarity  of  Travellers — Entering  the  Great  Temple — My  Impres- 
sions— Character  of  Abou-Simbel— The  Smaller  Chambers— The  Races  of  Men— 
Remeses  and  the  Captive  Kings — Departure. 

Wadi  IIalfa  is  an  ordinary  Arab  village,  and  noted  only  for 
being  trie  head  of  navigation  on  the  Nubian  Nile.  There 
were  six  or  seven  boats  in  port,  some  of  them  loaded  with  gum 
and  ready  to  start  for  Assouan.  They  were  all  nekkers,  or 
trading  boats,  built  of  heavy  wood,  and  not  to  be  moved  down 
stream  against  a  strong  head-wind.  I  therefore  engaged  the 
ferry-boat  in  which  I  had  crossed — a  light,  open  boat,  manned 
by  two  Nubian  boys.  The  rai's  made  a  frame  of  sticks  near 
the  stern,  and  covered  it  with  palm-mats,  to  serve  as  a  cabin. 
The  open  hold  was  turned  into  a  kitchen,  and  taken  possession 
of  by  my  two  men.  There  was  barely  room  enough  for  all  of 
us  and  our  baggage,  and  a  fat  sheep  I  bought,  as  provision  for 
the  voyage,  but  as  I  proposed  being  gloriously  lazy,  to  make 
up  for  the  foregone  toils,  I  needed  no  more. 


VOYAGE    DOWN    THE    NILE.  487 

The  morning  after  my  arrival  at  Wadi  Haifa  all  was 
ready.  A  few  children  came  down  to  greet  me  with  the  hate- 
ful word  "  backsheesh,"  which  I  had  not  heard  for  three 
months  and  hoped  never  to  hear  again  ;  but  a  few  Arabic  ex- 
clamations soon  put  them  to  flight.  We  shoved  awTay  from  the 
beach,  followed  by  the  cries  of  a  dozen  lazy  sailors,  who  also 
wanted  backsheesh  for  saying  "salaam"  at  parting.  I  stretch- 
ed myself  out  on  my  bed,  on  deck,  and  lay  looking  on  the 
receding  shore,  where  my  camel-men  and  camels  (Abou-Sin 
still  among  them)  were  encamped.  Abou-Sin's  head  was  turn- 
ed towards  the  river,  as  if  looking  for  his  master,  for  the 
hapless  creature  certainly  thought  I  should  go  over  to  mount 
him  on  the  morrow.  Alas,  my  brave  old  dromedary  !  we  shall 
never  again  play  friendly  tricks  upon  each  other.  Rais  Ram- 
adan took  his  station  at  the  helm,  and  the  boys  plied  their 
oars  actively,  so  that  we  soon  lost  sight  of  Wadi  Haifa.  All 
the  afternoon  we  glided  slowly  down  the  stream  between  rich 
palm-groves  and  grain-fields.  The  appearance  of  thrift  and 
fertility,  which  the  country  presented,  was  most  agreeable 
after  the  waste  fields  of  Dongoln,  and  the  unproductive  rocks 
and  sands  of  the  intermediate  districts.  The  mountains  behind 
were  lower  and  rounder  in  their  outlines,  and  the  landscapes 
softer  an  richer  than  any  I  had  seen  since  leaving  beautiful 
Dar  Shygheea.  By  sunset  we  had  made  \  uch  good  progress, 
that  there  was  every  hope  of  reaching  Abou-Simbel  in  the 
morning. 

There  was  no  wind  during  the  night,  and  the  boys  worked 
bravely.  About  two  hours  after  midnight  I  was  awakened 
from  a  deep  sleep  by  the  shock  of  the  boat  striking  the  shore. 
I  opened  my  eyes  and  saw,  as  I  lay,  without  moving  my  head, 


488  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

a  huge  wall  of  rock  before  me,  against  ■which  six  enormous 
statues  leaned  as  they  looked  from  deep  niches  cut  in  its  front. 
Their  solemn  faces  were  touched  by  the  moon,  which  shone 
full  on  the  cliff,  and  only  their  feet  were  wrapped  in  shadow. 
The  lines  of  deep-cut  hieroglyphics  over  the  portal  of  this 
rocky  temple  were  also  filled  with  shadow  and  painted  legibly 
on  the  gray,  moonlit  rock.  Below  them  yawned  the  door — a 
square  of  complete  darkness.  A  little  to  the  left,  over  a  long 
drift  of  sand  that  sloped  from  the  summit  of  the  cliff  nearly  to 
the  water's  edge,  peered  the  mitred  head  of  a  statue  of  still 
more  colossal  proportions.  I  gazed  on  this  broad,  dim,  and 
wonderful  picture  for  a  moment,  so  awed  by  its  majesty  that  I 
did  not  ask  myself  where  nor  what  it  was.  This  is  some  grand 
Egyptian  dream,  was  my  first  thought,  and  I  closed  my  eyes 
for  a  few  seconds,  to  see  whether  it  would  vanish.  But  it 
stood  fast  and  silent  as  ever,  and  I  knew  it  to  be  Abou- 
Simbel.  My  servants  all  slept,  and  the  rai's  and  boys  noise- 
lessly moored  the  boat  to  the  shore,  and  then  lay  down  and 
slept  also.  Still  I  lay,  and  the  great  statues  looked  solemnly 
down  upon  me,  and  the  moon  painted  their  kingly  nomens  and 
banners  with  yet  darker  distinctness  on  the  gray  rock.  The 
river  made  no  sound  below,  the  long  grass  stirred  not  a  blade 
at  the  foot  of  the  crags,  and  the  slopes  of  sand  were  white  and 
dumb  as  snow.  I  lay  in  too  deep  a  repose  for  thought,  and 
was  not  then  conscious  how  grateful  was  such  a  silence  in  Na- 
ture, while  the  moon  held  up  that  picture  before  me.  It  might 
have  been  two  minutes  or  twenty,  before  the  current  slowly 
swung  the  stern  of  the  boat  around,  and  the  picture  as  slowly 
shifted  from  my  view,  leaving  instead  the  Southern  Cross  in 
its  shrine  of  stars. 


THE    TEMPLES    OF    ABOU-SIMBEL.  489 

In  the  morning,  I  found  that  we  lay  at  the  foot  of  the 
smaller  temple.  I  quietly  waited  for  my  cup  of  coffee,  for  the 
morning  reality  was  infinitely  less  grand  than  my  vision  of  the 
night.  I  then  climbed  to  the  door  and  entered.  The  interior  is 
not  large  nor  imposing,  after  one  has  seen  the  temples  of  Egypt. 
The  exterior,  however,  is  on  such  a  colossal  scale,  that,  not- 
withstanding the  want  of  proportion  in  the  different  statues, 
the  effect  is  very  striking.  The  largest  ones  are  about  thirty- 
five  feet  high,  and  not  identical,  as  are  those  of  the  great  tem- 
ple. One,  who  stands  with  one  leg  advanced,  while  he  holds 
a  sword  with  the  handle  pressed  against  his  breast,  is  executed 
with  much  more  spirit  than  is  usually  met  with  in  statues  of 
this  period.  The  sculptures  of  the  interior  are  interesting, 
and  being  of  the  time  of  Remeses  the  Great,  whose  history 
they  illustrate,  are  executed  with  much  skill  and  labor.  The 
head  of  the  goddess  Athor,  on  the  face  of  the  columns  in  the 
hall,  is  much  less  beauiiful  than  that  of  the  same  goddess  at 
Dendera.  It  is,  in  fact,  almost  broad  and  distorted  enough  to 
represent  the  genius  Typhon. 

The  front  of  the  great  temple  is  not  parallel  to  that  of  the 
other,  nor  does  it  face  the  river,  which  here  flows  in  a  north- 
east course.  The  line  of  the  cliff  is  broken  between  the  two, 
so  that  the  figures  of  the  great  Hemeses,  seated  on  each  side 
of  the  door,  look  to  the  east,  the  direction  of  the  line  of  the 
face  being  nearly  north.  Through  the  gap  in  front,  the  sands 
have  poured  down  from  the  Desert  behind,  almost  wholly  fill- 
ing up  the  space  between  the  two  cliffs  ;  and  though  since  the 
temple  was  first  opened,  in  1817,  it  has  been  cleared  nearly  to 
the  base  more  than  once,  the  rapid  accumulation  of  sand  has 
again  almost  closed  the  entrance  The  southern  colossus  is 
•21* 


490  JOURNEV    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

only  buried  about  half  way  to  the  knee,  but  of  the  two  northern 
ones  there  is  little  else  to  be  seen  except  the  heads.  Obscured 
as  is  the  effect  of  this  grand  front,  it  is  still  without  parallel  in 
the  world.  I  had  not  thought  it  possible  that  in  statues  of 
such  enormous  magnitude  there  could  be  such  singular  beauty 
of  expression.  The  face  of  Remeses,  the  same  in  each,  is  un- 
doubtedly a  portrait,  as  it  resembles  the  faces  of  the  statues  in 
the  interior  and  those  of  the  King  in  other  places.  Besides, 
there  is  an  individuality  in  some  of  the  features  which  is  too 
marked  to  represent  any  general  type  of  the  Egyptian  head. 
The  fullness  of  the  drooping  eyelid,  which  yet  docs  not  cover 
the  large,  oblong  Egyptian  eye ;  the  nose,  at  first  slightly  in- 
clining to  the  aquiline,  but  curving  to  the  round,  broad  nos- 
trils ;  the  generous  breadth  of  the  calm  lips,  and  the  placid, 
serene  expression  of  the  face,  are  worthy  of  the  conqueror  of 
Africa  and  the  builder  of  Karnak  and  Medeenet  Abou. 

The  statue  next  the  door,  on  the  southern  side,  has  been 
shivered  to  the  throne  on  which  it  is  seated,  and  the  fragments 
are  not  to  be  seen,  except  a  few  which  lie  upon  the  knees. 
The  ridiculous  vanity  of  tourists  has  not  even  spared  these 
sublime  monuments,  and  they  are  covered  wherever  a  hand  can 
reach,  with  the  names  of  noble  and  ignoble  snobs.  The  enthu- 
siastic antiquaries  who  cleared  away  the  sands  have  recorded 
the  fact  in  modest  inscriptions,  near  the  door,  where  they  do 
not  offend  the  eye;  and  one  readily  pardons  the  liberty  the 
writers  have  taken.  But  there  are  two  Germans  (whose  names 
I  will  not  mention,  since  it  would  help  give  them  the  very  noto- 
riety they  covet),  who  have  carved  their  names  in  letters  a  foot 
long,  on  the  thigh  of  one  of  the  statues,  and  afterwards  filled 
them  with  black  paint.    I  should  like  to  sec  them  subjected  to  a 


THE    INTERIOR    OF    TOE    GREAT    TEMPLE.  491 

merciless  bastinado,  on  the  same  part  of  their  own  bodies. 
Certainly,  to  have  one  of  the  statues  seated  on  their  breasts  as 
a  nightmare,  every  night  of  their  lives,  would  not  be  too  much 
punishment  for  such  a  desecration. 

The  great  doorway  of  the  temple  is  so  choked  up  with  sand 
that  I  was  obliged  to  creep  in  on  my  knees.  The  sun  by  this 
time  had  risen  exactly  to  the  only  point  where  it  can  illumine 
the  interior,  and  the  rays,  taking  a  more  yellow  hue  from  the 
rock  and  sand  on  which  they  fell,  shone  down  the  long  drift 
between  the  double  row  of  colossal  statues,  and  lighted  up  the 
entrance  to  the  second  hall  of  the  temple.  I  sat  down  in  the 
sand,  awed  and  half  frightened  by  the  singular  appearance  of 
the  place.  The  sunshine,  falling  obliquely  on  the  sands, 
struck  a  dim  reflection  against  the  sculptured  roof,  and  even 
lighted  up  the  farthest  recesses  of  the  grand  hall  sufficiently  to 
show  its  imposing  dimensions.  Eight  square  pillars — four  on 
either  side  of  the  central  aisle — seem  to  uphold  the  roof,  and 
on  their  inner  sides,  facing  each  other,  are  eight  statues  of  the 
King.  The  features  of  all  are  preserved,  and  have  something 
of  the  grace  and  serenity,  though  not  the  majesty  of  the  great 
statues  outside.  They  look  into  each  other's  eyes,  with  an 
eternal  question  on  their  fixed  countenances,  but  none  can  give 
answer.  There  was  something  so  stern  and  strange  in  these 
eight  faces,  that  I  felt  a  shudder  of  fear  creep  over  me.  The 
strong  arms  are  all  crossed  on  their  breasts,  and  the  hands 
hold  various  sacred  and  regal  symbols,  conspicuous  among 
which  is  something  resembling  a  flail,  which  one  sees  often  in 
Egyptian  sculpture.  I  thought  of  a  marvellous  story  I  once 
read,  in  which  a  genie,  armed  with  a  brazen  flail,  stands  at  the 
entrance   of  an  enchanted   castle,  crushing  with  the  stroke  of 


492  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRTCA. 

his  terrible  weapon  all  who  come  to  seek  the  treasure  within. 
For  a  moment  the  childish  faith  in  the  supernatural  was  as 
strong  as  ever,  and  I  looked  at  the  gloomy  entrance  beyond, 
wishing  to  enter,  but  fearing  the  stony  flails  of  the  terrible 
Remesi  on  either  hand.  The  faces  were  once  partially  colored, 
and  the  black  eyeball,  still  remaining  on  the  blank  eye  of  stone, 
gives  them  an  expression  of  stupor,  of  death-in-life,  which 
accounted  to  me  for  the  nervous  shock  I  experienced  on  enter 
ing. 

There  is  nothing  in  Egypt  which  can  be  likened  to  the 
great  temple  of  Abou-Simbel.  Karnak  is  grander,  but  its 
grandeur  is  human.  This  belongs  rather  to  the  superhuman 
fancies  of  the  East — the  halls  of  the  Afrites — or  to  the  realm 
of  the  dethroned  Titans,  of  early  Greek  mythology.  This  im- 
pression is  not  diminished,  on  passing  the  second  hall  and 
corridor,  and  entering  the  adytum,  or  sacred  chamber  of  the 
temple.  There  the  granite  altar  yet  stands  in  the  centre, 
before  the  undestroyed  figures  of  the  gods,  who,  seated  side  by 
side,  calmly  await  the  offerings  of  their  worshippers.  The 
peculiar  individuality  of  each  deity  is  strikingly  shown  in  these 
large  statues,  and  their  attitude  is  much  less  constrained  than 
in  the  sitting  statues  in  the  tombs  of  Thebes.  These  look  as 
if  they  could  rise,  if  they  would.  The  walls  are  covered  with 
sculptures  of  them  and  of  the  contemplar  deities,  in  the  grand, 
bold  style  of  the  age  of  Remeses.  Some  visitors  had  left  a 
supply  of  dry  palm  branches  near  the  entrance,  and  of  these  1 
made  torches,  which  blazed  and  crackled  fiercely,  flaring  with  a 
rich  red  light  on  the  sculptured  and  painted  walls.  There 
was  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  examine  all  the  smaller  chambers, 
of  which  there  are  eight  or  nine,  cut  laterally   into  the  rock, 


THE    RACES    OF    MEN.  433 

without  any  attempt  at  symmetry  of  form,  or  regularity  of 
arrangement.  Several  of  them  have  seats  running  around 
three  sides,  exactly  like  the  divans  in  modern  Egyptian  houses. 
They  were  probably  designed  for  the  apartments  of  the  priests 
or  servants  connected  with  the  temple. 

The  sculptures  on  the  walls  of  the  grand  hall  are,  after 
those  of  Mecleenet  Abou,  and  on  the  exterior  wall  of  Karnak, 
the  most  interesting  I  have  seen  in  Egypt.  On  the  end  wall, 
on  either  side  of  the  entrance,  is  a  colossal  bas-relief,  repre- 
senting Remeses  slaying  a  group  of  captive  kings,  whom  he 
holds  by  the  hair  of  their  heads.  There  are  ten  or  twelve  in 
each  group,  and  the  features,  though  they  are  not  colored, 
exhibit  the  same  distinction  of  race  as  I  had  previously  remark- 
ed in  Belzoni's  tomb,  at  Thebes.  There  is  the  Negro,  the 
Persian,  the  Jew,  and  one  other  form  of  countenance  which  I 
could  not  make  out — all  imploring  with  uplifted  hands  the 
mercy  of  the  conqueror.  On  the  southern  wall,  the  distinction 
between  the  Negro  and  the  Egyptian  is  made  still  more  obvi- 
ous by  the  coloring  of  the  figures.  In  fact,  I  see  no  reason 
whatever  to  doubt  that  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  dif- 
ferent races  of  men  were  as  strongly  marked  in  the  days  of 
Remeses  as  at  present.  This  is  an  interesting  fact  in  discus- 
sing the  question  of  the  unity  of  origin  of  the  race.  Admitting 
the  different  races  of  men  to  have  had  originally  one  origin 
the  date  of  the  first  appearance  of  Man  on  the  earth,  must  have- 
been  nearer  fifty  thousand  than  five  thousand  years  ago.  If 
climate,  customs,  and  the  like  have  been  the  only  agents  in 
producing  that  variety  of  race,  which  we  find  so  strongly  mark- 
ed nearly  four  thousand  years  ago,  surely  those  agents  must 
have  been  at  work  for  a  vastly  longer  period  than  that  usually 


4  94  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

accepted  as  the  age  of  Man.  We  are  older  than  we  know ;  but 
our  beginning,  like  our  end,  is  darkness  and  mystery. 

The  sculptures  on  the  side  walls  of  the  temple  represent 
the  wars  of  llemeses,  who,  as  at  Medeenet  Abou,  stands  in  a 
chariot  which  two  horses  at  full  speed  whirl  into  the  ranks  of 
the  enemy.  The  king  discharges  his  arrows  against  them,  and 
directly  in  front  of  him  a  charioteer,  mortally  wounded,  is 
hurled  from  his  overthrown  chariot.  The  groups  are  chiselled 
with  great  spirit  and  boldness  ;  the  figures  of  the  king  and  his 
horses  are  full  of  life.  Towering  over  all,  as  well  by  his  supe- 
rior proportions  as  by  the  majesty  and  courage  of  his  attitude^ 
Remeses  stands  erect  and  motionless  amid  the  shock  and  jar 
and  riot  of  battle.  There  is  no  exultation  in  his  face ;  only 
the  inflexible  calmness  of  Destiny. 

I  spent  some  time  contemplating  these  grand  and  remark- 
able memorials  of  the  greatest  age  of  Egypt,  and  left  with  my 
feeling  for  Egyptian  art  even  stronger  than  before.  I  watched 
the  giant  figures  of  the  portico,  as  the  swift  current  carried 
my  boat  down  stream,  reluctant  to  lose  sight  of  their  majestic 
features.  But  the  yellow  of  the  cliff  turned  to  purple,  and  at 
last  other  crags  passed  before  it. 


LOSE    MY    SUNSHINE.  495 


CHAPTER     XXXVII 1. 

RETURN      TO      EGYPT. 

1  Lose  my  Sunshine,  and  Regain  it— Nubian  Scenery — Derr — The  Temple  of  Amada 
— Mysterious  Rappings — Familiar  Scents — Halt  at  Korosko — Escape  from  Ship- 
wreck— The  Temple  of  Sebooa— Chasing  other  Boats — Temple  of  Dj erf  Ilossayn — 
A  Backsheesh  Experiment— Kolabshee— Temple  of  Dabod— We  reach  the  Egyp- 
tian Frontier. 

The  distressing  coldness  of  the  temperature  the  night  before 
reaching  "Wadi  Haifa,  affected  me  more  painfully  than  all  the 
roastings  I  had  endured  in  Soudan.  My  nose  after  losing  six 
coats  of  skin,  became  so  hard  and  coppery,  that  like  Anthony 
Van  Corlear's,  the  reflected  rays  from  it  might  have  pierced 
even  the  tough  skin  of  a  crocodile.  My  frame  was  so  steeped 
in  heat,  that  had  our  fuel  fallen  short,  I  might  have  "  drawn  " 
my  tea,  by  hugging  the  kettle  in  my  arms.  I  had  been  so 
bathed  and  rolled  in  light,  the  sun  had  so  constantly,  with 
each  succeeding  day,  showered  upon  me  his  burning  baptism, 
that  I  came  to  regard  myself  as  one  of  his  special  representa- 
tives, and  to  fancy  that,  wherever  I  went,  there  was  a  sort  of 
nimbus'  or  radiation  around  me.  But  those  few  drops  of  rain, 
among  the  stony  mountains  of  the  Batn  El-Hadjar,  quenched 
at  once  the  glow  of  my  outer  surface,  and  the  cold  winds  which 


496  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

followed,  never  ceased  Wowing  till  they  extinguished  even  the 
central  fires.  I  was  like  an  incipient  comet,  snuffed  out  of 
existence  and  made  satellite  to  some  frozen  planet.  My  frame 
was  racked  with  pains,  which  turned  into  misery  the  refresh- 
ing indolence  of  the  Nile.  I  had  no  medicines,  but  put 
my  philosophy  into  practice  :  the  climate  of  Nubia,  I  said, 
has  given  me  this  infliction,  therefore  the  country  must  supply 
the  remedy.  So  I  sent  the  rai's  ashore  in  search  of  it.  He 
came  back  with  a  cup  of  oil  which  a  shining  daughter  of  the 
land  was  about  bestowing  upon  her  crispy  tresses,  and  I  drank 
it  with  a  heroic  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  my  theory.  I  was  not 
disappointed,  and  on  the  third  day  sat  once  more  in  the  sun, 
in  the  bow  of  my  boat,  trying  to  regain  the  effluence  I  had 
lost. 

The  scenery  of  the  Nile  below  Abou-Simbel  is  very  beauti- 
ful. The  mountains  recede  again  from  the  bank,  and  show 
themselves  occasionally  in  picturesque  peaks.  The  shores  are 
low  and  rich  and  the  groves  of  date-trees  most  luxuriant.  The 
weather  was  delightfully  calm  and  warm,  and  the  Nile,  though 
swift,  ran  smooth  and  shining  as  the  oil  of  his  own  castor 
bean-fields.  During  the  sweet,  quiet  hour  before  and  after 
sunset,  we  floated  down  through  the  lovely  region  about  Bos- 
tan  and  Teshka.  Three  tall  peaks  of  dark-brown  rock  rose 
inland,  beyond  the  groves  of  the  beautiful  Ibreemee  palra, 
whose  leaves,  longer  and  more  slender  than  those  of  the  Egyp- 
tian date-tree,  are  gracefully  parted  at  the  sides — half  of  them 
shooting  upward  in  a  plumy  tuft,  while  the  other  half  droop 
around  the  tall  shaft  of  the  tree.  The  boys  worked  during  the 
second  night  with  unabated  force.  I  awoke  as  the  moon  waa 
rising    through   black    clouds,  and    found    the   lofty   crags  of 


THE    TEMPLE    OF    AMADA.  497 

Ibreem  overhanging  us.  We  swept  silently  under  the  base 
of  the  heights,  which  in  the  indistinct  light,  appeared  to  rise 
four  or  five  hundred  feet  above  us.  By  sunrise,  the  date- 
groves  of  Derr,  the  capital  of  the  Nuba  country,  were  in  sight, 
and  we  were  soon  moored  beside  the  beach  in 'front  of  the 
town,  Derr  stretches  for  some  distance  along  the  shore,  and 
presents  an  agreeable  front  to  the  river.  A  merchant,  from  a 
boat  near  ours,  brought  me  two  small  loaves  of  delicious 
Egyptian  bread.  He  had  been  in  Soudan,  and  knew  how  such 
bread  would  relish,  after  the  black  manufacture  of  that 
country. 

An  hour  afterwards  my  boat  ran  to  the  eastern  bank,  to 
allow  me  to  visit  the  little  temple  of  Amada.  This  temple 
stands  on  a  slight  rise  in  the  sands,  which  surround  and  en- 
tirely overwhelm  it.  It  consists  only  cf  a  low  portico,  sup- 
ported by  eight  pillars,  a  narrow  corridor  and  the  usual  three 
chambers — all  of  very  small  dimensions.  The  sculptures  on 
the  walls  are  remarkable  for  the  excellent  preservation  of  their 
colors.  The  early  Christians,  who  used  this  temple  for  their 
worship,  broke  holes  in  the  roof,  which  admit  sufficient  light 
for  the  examination  of  the  interior.  Without  knowing  any 
thing  of  the  hieroglyphic  inscriptions  on  the  temple,  I  should 
judge  that  it  was  erected  by  some  private  person  or  persons. 
The  figures  making  the  offerings  have  not  the  usual  symbols 
of  royalty,  and  the  objects  they  present  consist  principally  of 
the  fruits  of  the  earth,  which  are  heaped  upon  a  table .  placed 
beforo  the  divinity.  The  coloring  of  the  fruit  is  quite  rich 
and  glowing,  and  there  are  other  objects  which  appear  to  bo 
cakes  or  pastry.  While  I  was  examining  the  central  chamber, 
T  heard  a  sound  as  of  some  one  sharply  striking  one  of  the  out- 


498  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

side  pillars  with  a  stick.  It  was  repeated  three  times  with  an 
interval  between,  and  was  so  clear  and  distinct  that  I  imagined 
it  to  be  Achmet,  following  me.  I  called,  but  on  receiving  no 
answer,  went  out,  and  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  no  per- 
son there  or*within  sight.  The  temple  stands  at  a  considera- 
ble distance  from  any  dwelling,  and  there  is  no  place  in  the 
smooth  sands  on  all  sides  of  it  where  a  man  could  hide. 
When  I  mentioned  this  circumstance,  on  returning  to  the 
boat,  Achmet  and  the  rais  immediately  declared  it  to  be  the 
work  of  a  djin,  or  afrite,  who  frequently  are  heard  among  the 
ruins,  and  were  greatly  shocked  when  I  refused  to  accept  this 
explanation.  I  record  the  circumstance  to  show  that  even  in 
the  heart  of  Nubia  there  are  mysterious  rappings. 

Beyond  Derr  I  entered  the  mountain  region  of  granite, 
sandstone  and  porphyry,  which  extends  all  the  way  to  As- 
souan. As  I  approached  Korosko,  which  is  only  about  twelve 
miles  further,  the  south-wind  increased  till  it  became  a  genuine 
Jchamseen,  almost  blotting  out  the  landscape  with  the  clouds 
of  sand  which  it  whirled  from  the  recesses  of  the  Biban.  We 
were  obliged  to  creep  along  under  the  bank  till  we  reached 
Korosko,  where  we  ran  up  to  the  same  old  landing-place  at 
which  I  had  stopped  in  December.  The  bank  was  eight  feet 
higher  than  then,  the  river  having  fallen  that  much  in  the 
mean  time.  There  was  the  same  house,  open  on  the  river- 
side, the  same  old  Turk  sitting  within,  the  dark  sycamores 
shading  the  bank,  the  dusty  terrace  with  the  familiar  palms 
tossing  their  leaves  against  the  wind,  the  water-mill,  the  white 
minaret  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and,  lastly,  the  bold, 
peaked  ridge  of  Djebel  Korosko  behind.  There  was  the  very 
spot  where  my  tent  had  stood,  and  where  I  first  mounted  a 


OLD  ACQUAINTANCES  AT  KOKOSKO.  499 

dromedary  for  the  long  march  through  the  Nubian  Desert 
There  was  also  the  corner  by  which  I  turned  into  the  moun- 
tain-pass, and  took  leave  of  the  Nile.  I  recognized  all  these 
points  with  a  grateful  feeling  that  my  long  wandering  in  Cen- 
tral Africa  was  over,  without  a  single  untoward  incident  to 
mar  my  recollection  of  it.  I  had  my  pipe  and  carpet  brought 
under  the  shade  of  the  sycamore,  while  Achmet  went  up  to 
the  Governor's  house,  with  the  rais  and  one  of  the  boys.  Be- 
fore long,  the  latter  appeared  with  his  shirt  full  of  pigeons  (for 
I  had  not  forgotten  the  delicious  roast  pigeons  we  took  from 
Korosko  into  the  Desert),  then  the  rais  with  my  sack  of  char 
coal,  the  Governor  having  only  used  about  one-third  of  it  dur- 
ing my  absence,  and  finally  the  Governor  himself.  Moussa 
Eifendi  shook  me  cordially  by  the  hand  and  welcomed  mo 
many  times,  thanking  God  that  I  had  returned  in  safety.  We 
sat  on  my  carpet,  talked  for  an  hour  about  my  journe}-,  took 
coffee,  and  I  then  left  the  worthy  man  and  his  wretched  vil- 
lage, more  delighted  at  having  seen  them  again  than  I  can 
well  express. 

The  same  evening,  the  wind  veered  to  the  north-west,  near- 
ly at  right-angles  to  our  course,  and  just  at  dusk,  as  the  rais 
and  Ali  were  rowing  vigorously  to  keep  the  boat  on  the 
western  side  of  the  river  (the  other  being  full  of  dangerous 
reefs),  the  rope  which  held  the  long  oar  in  its  place  broke,  and 
Ali  tumbled  heels  over  head  into  the  wooden  cooking  bowl  of 
the  rais.  The  wind  carried  us  rapidly  towards  the  opposite 
shore,  and  while  Ali  and  Lalee  were  trying  to  fix  the  oar  in 
its  place,  we  heard  the  water  roaring  over  the  rocks.  "  0 
Prophet!"  "0  Apostle!"  "Prophet  of  God,  help  us!" 
were  the  exclamations  of  the  rais,  but  little  black  'Med  Roo- 


500  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

mee,  who  sat  at  the  helm,  like  Charlemagne  on  a  similar  occa- 
sion, said  nothing.  He  looked  keenly  through  the  gloom  for 
the  reef,  and  at  last  discerned  it  in  time  for  the  boat  to  be 
sculled  around  with  the  remaining  oar,  and  brought  to  land 
just  above  the  dangerous  point.  A  shipwreck  in  the  Nile  is  a 
more  serious  matter  than  one  would  imagine,  who  has  never 
seen  the  river  during  a  strong  wind.  Its  waves  run  as  rough- 
ly and  roar  as  loudly  as  those  of  a  small  sea. 

We  reached  Sebooa  during  the  night,  and  I  walked  up  to 
the  temple  as  soon  as  I  rose.  Early  as  it  was,  several  Arabs 
descried  me  from  a  distance,  and  followed.  The  temple,  which 
is  small  and  uninteresting,  is  almost  buried  under  drifts  from 
the  Desert,  which  completely  fill  its  interior  chambers.  Only 
the  portico  and  court,  with  three  pillars  on  each  side,  to  which 
colossal  caryatides  are  attached,  remain  visible.  Before  the 
pylon  there  is  an  avenue  of  lion-headed  sphinxes,  six  of  which, 
and  &  colossal  p'-atue  of  sandstone,  raise  their  heads  above  the 
sand.  I  wan  followed  to  the  vessel  by  the  men,  who  impor- 
tuned me  for  backsheesh.  When  I  demanded  what  reason 
they  had  for  expecting  it,  they  answered  that  all  strangers 
who  go  there  give  it  to  them.  This  was  reason  enough  for 
them  ;  as  they  knew  not  why  it  was  given,  so  they  knew  not 
why  it  should  be  refused.  The  crowd  of  travellers  during  the 
winter  had  completely  spoiled  the  Barabras.  I  said  to  the 
men  :  "  You  have  done  nothing  for  me  ;  you  are  beggars," — 
but  instead  of  feeling  the  term  a.  reproach,  they  answered : 
"  You  are  right — we  are  beggars."  With  such  people  one  can 
do  nothing. 

For  the  next  two  days  we  lagged  along,  against  a  head- 
wind.    My  two  boys  did  the  work  of  two  men,  and  I  stimu- 


MY    FLAG DJERF    II  OSS  A  YX.  501 

lated  them  with  presents  of  mutton  and  tobacco.  Three  Eng- 
lish boats  (the  last  of  the  season),  left  Wadi-Halfa  three  days 
before  me,  and  by  inquiring  at  the  village,  I  found  I  was  fast 
gaining  on  them.  I  began  to  feel  some  curiosity  concerning 
the  world's  doings  during  the  winter,  and  as  these  Englishmen 
were  at  least  three  months  in  advance  of  the  point  where  I 
left  off,  they  became  important  objects  to  me,  and  the  chase  of 
them  grew  exciting.  I  prepared  for  my  encounter  with  them 
and  other  belated  travellers  on  the  Nile,  by  making  an  Ameri- 
can flag  out  of  some  stuff  which  I  had  bought  for  that  purj>ose 
in  Dongola.  The  blue  and  white  were  English  muslin,  and 
the  red  the  woollen  fabric  of  Barbary,  but  they  harmonized 
well,  and  my  flag,  though  I  say  it,  was  one  of  the  handsomest 
on  the  river. 

The  temple  of  Djerf  Hossayn  is  excavated  in  the  rock, 
near  the  summit  of  a  hill  behind  the  village.  A  rough  path, 
over  heaps  of  stones,  which  abound  with  fragments  of  pottery, 
denoting  the  existence  of  an  ancient  town,  leads  up  to  it. 
When  I  reached  the  platform  in  front  of  the  entrance  I  had  a 
convoy  of  more  than  a  dozen  persons,  mostly  stout,  able-bodied 
men.  I  determined  to  try  an  experiment,  and  so  told  them  at 
the  start  to  go  back,  for  they  would  get  nothing;  but  they 
were  not  to  be  shaken  off.  I  avoided  with  the  greatest  care 
and  patience  all  their  endeavors  to  place  me  under  obligations 
to  them  ;  for  these  cunning  Barabras  are  most  assiduous  in 
their  efforts  to  render  some  slight  service.  If  it  is  only  kicking 
a  stone  out  of  your  path,  it  constitutes  a  claim  for  backsheesh, 
and  they  represent  their  case  in  such  a  way  that  it  would  be 
the  most  glaring  ingratitude  on  your  part  not  to  give  it. 

On  entering  the  temple,  the  vast  square  pillars  of  the  hall, 


502  JOURNEY*  TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

with  the  colossal  figures  attached  to  them,  produce  a  striking 
impression.  The  effect  of  these  pillars,  which  fill  nearly  half 
the  space  of  the  hall  itself,  is  to  increase  its  apparent  dimen- 
sions, so  that  the  temple,  at  the  first  glance,  seems  to  be  on  a 
grander  scale  than  is  really  the  case.  I  had  some  curiosity 
regarding  this  place,  from  the  enthusiastic  description  of  War- 
burton,  and  the  disparaging  remarks  of  Wilkinson.  After  see- 
ing it,  I  find  them  both  correct,  in  a  great  measure.  The  co- 
lossal statues  of  the  grand  hall  are  truly,  as  the  latter  ob- 
serves, clumsy  and  badly  executed,  and  the  sculptures  on  the 
walls  are  unworthy  the  age  of  Remeses ;  but  it  is  also  true 
that  their  size,  and  the  bulk  of  the  six  pillars,  which  are  lofty 
enough  to  be  symmetrical,  would  have  a  fine  effect  when  seen 
at  night,  by  the  light  of  torches,  as  Warburton  saw  them.  All 
the  chambers  have  suffered  from  smoke  and  bats,  and  the 
bigotry  of  the  old  Christians.  The  walls  are  so  black  that  it 
is  difficult  to  trace  out  the  figures  upon  them.  This,  however, 
rather  heightens  the  impression  of  a  grand,  though  uncouth 
and  barbarous  art,  which  the  temple  suggests.  I  made  but  a 
brief  visit,  and  marched  down  the  hill  with  the  population  of 
Djerf  Hossayn  in  my  train.  The  boat  had  gone  ahead,  as  the 
only  approach  to  the  shore  was  a  mile  or  two  beyond,  but  they 
insisted  on  following  me.  I  ordered  them  to  leave,  fearing  lest 
the  very  fact  of  their  walking  so  far  in  the  hot  sun  would  in- 
duce me  to  break  my  resolution.  It  would  have  been,  indeed, 
a  satisfaction  to  give  ten  piastres  and  be  freed  from  them, 
and  I  took  no  little  credit  to  myself  for  persisting  in  refusing 
them.  They  all  dropped  off  at  last,  except  two,  who  came 
almost  to  the  spot  where  the  boat  was  moored,  and  only  turned 
back  because  I  was  in  advav  ce  and  ordered  the  rai's  to  move 


KALABASHEE.  503 

on  as  soon  as  I  got  on  board.  I  should  like  to  know  their 
opinion  of  me.  I  have  no  doubt  the  people  considered  me  the 
most  eccentric  Frank  who  ever  came  among  them. 

The  next  morning  we  reached  Kalabshee,  and  before  sun- 
rise I  was  standing  on  the  long  stone  platform  before  the  tem- 
ple. The  pylon  of  hewn  sandstone  rises  grandly  above  the 
spacious  portal,  and  from  the  exterior  the  building  has  a  most 
imposing  air.  Its  interior  once,  probably,  did  not  diminish 
the  impression  thus  given  ;  but  at  present  it  is  such  an  utter 
mass  of  ruin  that  the  finest  details  are  entirely  lost.  The 
temple  is  so  covered  with  the  enormous  fragments  of  the  roof 
and  walls  that  it  is  a  work  of  some  difficulty  to  examine  it ; 
but  it  does  not  repay  any  laborious  inspection.  The  outer 
wall  which  surrounds  it  has  also  been  hurled  down,  and  the 
whole  place  is  a  complete  wreck.  I  know  of  no  temple  which 
has  been  subjected  to  such  violence,  unless  it  be  that  of  Soleb 
in  Dar  El-Mahass. 

Below  the  temple  we  passed  the  Bab  (Gate)  El-Kalabshee, 
where  the  river  is  hemmed  in  between  enormous  boulders  of 
granite  and  porphyry.  The  morning  was  cold  and  dark,  and 
had  there  been  firs  instead  of  palms,  I  could  have  believed  my- 
self on  some  flood  among  the  hills  of  Norway.  I  urged  on  the 
boys,  as  I  wished  to  reach  Dabod  before  dark,  and  as  Ali,  who 
was  anxious  to  get  back  to  Egypt,  took  a  hand  at  the  oar  oc- 
casionally, our  boat  touched  the  high  bank  below  the  temple 
just  after  sunset.  There  is  a  little  village  near  the  place,  and 
the  reapers  in  the  ripe  wheat-fields  behind  it  were  closing  their 
day's  labor.  One  old  man,  who  had  no  doubt  been  a  servant 
in  Cairo,  greeted  me  with  "  buona  sera  !  "  Achmet  followed, 
to  keep  off  the  candidates  for  backsheesh,  and  I  stood  alone  in 


504  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

the  portico  of  the  temple,  just  as  the  evening  scar  began  tc 
twinkle  in  the  lading  amber  and  rose.  Like  Kalabshee,  the 
temple  is  of  the  times  of  the  Caesars,  and  unfinished.  There 
are  three  chambers,  the  interior  walls  of  which  are  covered 
with  sculptures,  but  little  else  is  represented  than  the  offerings 
to  the  gods.  Indeed,  none  of  the  sculptures  in  the  temples  of 
the  Caesars  have  the  historic  interest  of  those  of  the  Eighteenth 
Egyptian  dynasty.  The  object  of  the  later  architects  appears 
to  have  been  merely  to  cover  the  walls,  and  consequently  we 
find  an  endless  repetition  of  the  same  subjects.  The  novice  in 
Egyptian  art  might  at  first  be  deceived  by  the  fresher  appear- 
ance of  the  figures,  their  profusion  and  the  neatness  of  their 
chiselling ;  but  a  lit  4c  experience  will  satisfy  him  how  truly 
superior  were  the  ancient  workmen,  both  in  the  design  and 
execution  of  their  historic  sculptures.  In  Dabod,  I  saw  the 
last  of  the  Nubian  temples,  in  number  nearly  equal  to  those 
of  Egypt,  and  after  Thebes,  quite  equal  to  them  in  interest. 
No  one  who  has  not  been  beyond  Assouan,  can  presume  to  say 
that  he  has  a  thorough  idea  of  Egyptian  art.  And  the  Nile, 
the  glorious  river,  is  only  half  known  by  those  who  forsake 
him  at  Philae. 

After  dark,  we  floated  past  the  Shaymt-el-Wah,  a  powerful 
eddy  or  whirlpool  in  the  stream,  and  in  the  night  came  to  a 
small  village  within  hearing  of  the  Cataract.  Here  the  rais 
had  his  family,  and  stopped  to  see  them.  We  lay  there  quiet- 
ly the  rest  of  the  night,  but  with  the  first  glimpse  of  light  I 
was  stirring,  and  called  him  to  his  duty.  The  dawn  was  deep- 
ening into  a  clear  golden  whiteness  in  the  East,  but  a  few 
large  stars  were  sparkling  overhead,  as  we  approached  Philae. 
Its    long    colonnades    of   light    sandstone    glimmered    in    the 


AKRIVAL    AT    ASSOUAN.  50f> 

shadows  of  the  palms,  between  the  dark  masses  of  the  moun- 
tains on  either  hand,  and  its  tall  pylons  rose  beyond,  distinct 
against  the  sky.  The  little  hamlets  on  the  shores  were  still  in 
the  hush  of  sleep,  and  there  was  no  sound  to  disturb  the  im- 
pression of  that  fairy  picture.  The  pillars  of  the  airy  chapel 
of  Athor  are  perfect  in  their  lightness  and  grace,  when  seen 
thus  from  a  boat  coming  down  the  river,  with  the  palm-groves 
behind  them  and  the  island-quay  below.  We  glided  softly 
past  that  vision  of  silence  and  beauty,  took  the  rapid  between 
the  gates  of  granite,  and  swept  down  to  the  village  at  the  head 
of  the  Cataract.  The  sun  had  just  risen,  lighting  up  the  fleet 
of  trading  boats  at  anchor,  and  the  crowds  of  Arabs,  Egyptians 
and  Barabras  on  the  beach.  The  two  English  dahabiyehs  I 
had  been  chasing  were  rowed  out  for  the  descent  of  the  Cata- 
ract, as  I  jumped  ashore  and  finished  my  travels  in  Nubia. 


22 


506  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

VOYAGE      DOWN      THE      NILE. 

Assouan— A  Boat  for  Cairo— English  Tourists— A  Head-wind— Ophthalmia— Esneh — A. 
Mummied  Princess— Ali  Effendi's  Stories— A  Donkey  Afrite— Arrival  at  Ln^or— 
The  Egyptian  Autumn— A  Day  at  Thebos— Songs  of  the  Sailors— Ali  leaves  me— 
Ride  to  Dendera— Head-winds  again— Visit  to  Tahtah— The  House  of  Rufau  Bey. 

I  reached  the  Egyptian  frontier  on  the  morning  of  the  six- 
teenth of  March,  having  been  forty  days  in  making  the  jour- 
ney from  Khartoum.  Immediately  upon  our  arrival,  I  took  a 
donkey  and  rode  around  the  Cataract  to  Assouan,  leaving  All 
to  take  care  of  the  baggage-camels.  I  went  directly  to  the 
beach,  where  a  crowd  of  vessels  were  moored,  in  expectation 
of  the  caravans  of  gum  from  the  South.  An  Egyptian  Bey, 
going  to  Khartoum  in  the  train  of  Rustum  Pasha,  had  arrived 
the  day  before  in  a  small  dahabiyeh,  and  the  captain  thereof 
immediately  offered  it  to  me  for  the  return  to  Cairo.  It  was 
a  neat  and  beautiful  little  vessel,  with  a  clean  cabin,  couch, 
divan,  and  shady  portico  on  deck.  He  asked  twelve  hundred 
piastres ;  I  offered  him  nine  hundred ;  we  agreed  on  a  thou- 
sand, and  when  my  camels  arrived  there  was  a  new  refuge  pre* 
pared  for  my  household  gods.     I  set  Achmet  to  work  at  get- 


ENGLISH    TOURISTS.  50*7 

ting  the  necessary  supplies,  sent  the  rais  to  bake  bread  for  the 
voyage,  and  then  went  to  see  the  jolly,  flat-nosed  Governor. 
He  received  me  very  cordially,  and  had  a  great  deal  to  say  of 
the  unparalleled  herd  of  travellers  on  the  Nile  during  the 
winter.  Ninety-six  vessels  and  eleven  steamboats  had  reached 
the  harbor  of  Assouan,  and  of  these  the  greater  number  were 
Americans.  "  Mashallah  !  your  countrymen  must  be  very 
rich,"  said  the  Governor. 

When  I  left  the  divan,  the  firing  of  guns  announced  the 
safe  arrival  of  the  English  boats  below  the  Cataract.  Very 
soon  I  saw  two  burnt-faced,  tarbooshed  individuals,  with  eye- 
glasses in  their  eyes,  strolling  up  the  beach.  For  once  I 
threw  off  the  reserve  which  a  traveller  usually  feels  towards 
every  one  speaking  his  own  language,  and  accosted  them. 
They  met  my  advances  half-way,  and  before  long  my  brain 
was  in  a  ferment  of  French  and  English  politics.  Europe  was 
still  quiet  then,  but  how  unlike  the  quiet  of  the  Orient !  The 
Englishmen  had  plenty  of  news  for  me,  but  knew  nothing  of 
the  news  I  most  wanted — those  of  my  own  country.  Had  our 
positions  been  reversed,  the  result  would  have  been  different. 
They  left  at  sunset  for  the  return  to  Thebes,  but  I  was  detain- 
ed until  noon  the  next  day,  when  I  set  off  in  company  with 
the  boat  of  Signor  Drovetti,  of  Alexandria,  who  left  Khar- 
toum a  few  days  after  me.  I  had  six  men,  but  only  two  of 
them  were  good  oarsmen. 

In  the  morning,  when  I  awoke,  the  broken  pylon  of  Ombos 
tottered  directly  over  the  boat.  I  rushed  on  deck  in  time  to 
catch  another  sight  of  the  beautiful  double  portico,  looking 
down  from  the  drifted  sands.  The  wind  blew  very  strongly 
from  the  north,  but  in  the  afternoon  we  succeeded  in  reaching 


508  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Djebel  Silsileh,  where  the  English  boats  were  moored.  We 
exchanged  pistol  salutes,  and  I  ran  up  to  the  bank  to  visit 
some  curious  sculptured  tablets  and  grottoes,  which  we  did  not 
see  on  the  upward  voyage.  During  the  night  the  wind 
increased  to  such  an  extent  that  all  the  boats  were  obliged  to 
lay  to  The  morning  found  our  four  dahabiyehs  floating  slow- 
ly down  in  company,  crossing  from  side  to  side  transversely,  in 
order  to  make  a  little  headway.  After  three  or  four  hours, 
however,  the  wind  grew  so  strong  that  they  were  driven  up 
stream,  and  all  ran  to  the  lee  of  a  high  bank  for  shelter. 
There  we  lay  nearly  all  day.  The  Englishmen  went  ashore 
and  shot  quails,  but  I  lounged  on  my  divan,  unable  to  do  any 
thing,  for  the  change  from  the  dry,  hot  desert  air,  to  the  damp 
Nile  blasts,  brought  on  an  inflammation  of  the  eyes,  resembling 
ophthalmia.  I  was  unable  to  read  or  write,  and  had  no  reme- 
dies except  water,  which  I  tried  both  warm  and  cold,  with 
very  little  effect. 

Towards  evening  the  wind  fell ;  after  dark  we  passed  the 
pylon  of  Edfoo,  and  at  noon  the  next  day  reached  Esneh.  1 
went  at  once  to  the  temple,  so  beautiful  in  my  memory,  yet 
still  more  beautiful  when  I  saw  it  again.  The  boys  who 
admitted  me,  lifted  the  lids  of  the  large  coffin  and  showed  the 
royal  mummies,  which  are  there  crumbling  to  pieces  from  the 
neglect  of  the.  Egyptian  authorities,  who  dug  them  up  at 
Goorneh.  The  coffins  were  of  thick  plank  and  still  sound,  the 
wood  having  become  exceedingly  dry  and  light.  The  mum- 
mies were  all  more  or  less  mutilated,  but  the  heads  of  some 
were  well  preserved.  In  form,  they  differ  considerably  from 
the  Arab  head  of  the  present  day,  showing  a  better  balance  of 
the  intellectual  and  moral  faculties.     On  one  of  them  the  hair 


509 


was  still  fresh  and  uncorrupted.  It  was  of  a  fine,  silky  tex- 
ture and  a  bright  auburn  color.  The  individual  was  a  woman, 
with  a  very  symmetrical  head,  and  small,  regular  features. 
She  may  have  been  a  beauty  once,  but  nothing  could  be  moro 
hideous.  I  pulled  off  a  small  lock  of  hair,  and  took  it  with 
me  as  a  curious  relic.  Esneh  appeared  much  more  beautiful 
to  me  than  on  my  upward  journey ;  possibly,  by  contrast  with 
the  mud-built  houses  of  Soudan.  I  went  to  a  coffee- shop  and 
smoked  a  sheesheh,  while  the  muezzin  called  down  from  the 
mosque  in  front:  "God  is  great;  there  is  no  God  but  God; 
Mohammed  is  the  Prophet  of  God." 

Ali  Effendi,  the  agent  of  the  Moodir,  or  Governor,  came 
to  see  me  and  afterwards  went  on  board  my  vessel  As  the 
wind  was  blowing  so  furiously  that  we  could  not  leave,  I  invit- 
ed him  to  dinner,  and  in  the  meantime  we  had  a  long  talk  on 
afrites  and  other  evil  spirits.  I  learned  many  curious  things 
concerning  Arabic  faith  in  such  matters.  The  belief  in  spirits 
is  universal,  although  an  intelligent  Arab  will  not  readily  con- 
fess the  fact  to  a  Frank,  unless  betrayed  into  it  by  a  simulated 
belief  on  the  part  of  the  latter.  Ali  Effendi  informed  me  that 
the  spirit  of  a  man  who  is  killed  by  violence,  haunts  the  spot 
where  his  body  is  buried,  until  the  number  of  years  has  elapsed, 
which  he  would  otherwise  have  lived.  He  stated,  with  the 
greatest  earnestness,  that  formerly,  in  passing  at  night  over 
the  plain  between  Embabeh  and  the  Pyramids,  where  Napo- 
leon defeated  the  Mamelukes,  he  had  frequently  heard  a  con- 
fusion of  noises, — cries  of  pain,  and  agony,  and  wrath — but 
that  now  there  were  but  few  sounds  to  be  heard,  as  the  time  of 
service  of  the  ghosts  had  for  the  most  part  expired. 

One  of  his  personal  experiences  with  an  afrite  amused  me 


510  JOURNEi"    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

exceedingly.  He  was  walking  one  night  on  the  road  from 
Cairo  to  Shoobra,  when  he  suddenly  saw  a  donkey  before  him. 
As  he  was  somewhat  fatigued,  and  the  donkey  did  not  appear 
to  have  an  owner,  he  mounted,  and  was  riding  along  very 
pleasantly,  when  he  was  startled  by  the  fact  that  the  animal 
was  gradually  increasing  in  size.  In  a  few  minutes  it  became 
nearly  as  large  as  a  camel ;  and  he  thereby  knew  that  it  was 
no  donkey,  but  an  afrite.  At  first  he  was  in  such  terror  that 
the  hairs  of  his  beard  stood  straight  out  from  his  face,  but 
suddenly  remembering  that  an  afrite  may  be  brought  to  reveal 
his  true  nature  by  wounding  him  with  a  sharp  instrument,  he 
cautiously  drew  his  dagger  and  was  about  to  plunge  it  into  the 
creature's  back.  The  donkey-fiend,  however,  kept  a  sharp 
watch  upcn  him  with  one  of  his  eyes,  which  was  turned  back- 
wards, and  no  sooner  saw  the  dagger  than  he  contracted  to 
his  original  shape,  shook  off  his  rider  and  whisked  away  with  a 
yell  of  infernal  laughter,  and  the  jeering  exclamation :  "  Ha  ! 
ha !  you  want  to  ride,  do  you  ?  " 

We  had  scarcely  left  Esneh  before  a  fresh  gale  arose,  and 
kept  us  tossing  about  in  the  same  spot  all  night.  These 
blasts  on  the  Nile  cause  a  rise  of  waves  which  so  shake  the 
vessel  that  one  sometimes  feels  a  premonition  of  sea-sickness. 
They  whistle  drearily  through  the  ropes,  like  a  gale  on  the 
open  sea.  The  air  at  these  times  is  filled  with  a  gray  haze, 
and  the  mountain  chains  on  either  hand  have  a  dim,  watery 
loom,  like  that  of  mountains  along  the  sea-coast.  For  half  a 
day  I  lay  in  sight  of  Esneh,  but  during  the  following  night,  as 
there  was  no  wind,  I  could  not  sleep  for  the  songs  of  the  sail- 
ors. The  sunrise  touched  the  colonnade  of  Luxor.  I  slept 
beyond  my  usual  time,  and  on  going  out  of  the  cabin   what 


THEBES    REVISITED.  511 

nhould  I  see  but  my  former  guide,  Hassan,  leading  down  the 
beach  the  same  little  brown  mare  on  which  I  had  raced  with 
him  around  Karnak.  We  mounted  and  rode  again  down  the 
now  familiar  road,  but  the  harvests  whose  planting  I  had  wit- 
nessed in  December  were  standing  ripe  or  already  gathered  in. 
It  was  autumn  in  Egypt.  The  broad  rings  of  clay  were 
beaten  for  threshing  floors,  and  camels,  laden  with  stacks  of 
wheat-sheaves  paced  slowly  towards  them  over  the  stubble 
fields.  Herds  of  donkeys  were  to  be  seen  constantly,  carrying 
heavy  sacks  of  wheat  to  the  magazines,  and  the  capacious 
freight-boats  were  gathering  at  the  towns  along  the  Nile  to 
carry  off  the  winter's  produce. 

It  was  a  bright,  warm  and  quiet  day  that  I  spent  at 
Thebes.  The  great  plain,  girdled  by  its  three  mountain- 
chains,  lay  in  a  sublime  repose.  There  was  no  traveller  there, 
and,  as  the  people  were  expecting  none,  they  had  already  given 
up  the  ruins  to  their  summer  silence  and  loneliness.  I  had  no 
company,  on  either  side  of  the  rivar,  but  my  former  guides, 
who  had  now  become  as  old  friends.  We  rode  to  Karnak,  to 
Medeenet  Abou,  to  the  Memnonium,  and  the  Colossi  of  the 
Plain.  The  ruins  had  now  not  only  a  memory  for  me,  but  a 
language.  They  no  longer  crushed  me  with  their  cold,  stern, 
incomprehensible  grandeur.  I  was  calm  as  the  Sphinx,  whose 
lips  no  longer  closed  on  a  mystery.  I  had  gotten  over  the 
awe  of  a  neophyte,  and,  though  so  little  had  been  revealed  to 
me,  walked  among  the  temples  with  the  feelings  of  a  master. 
Let  no  one  condemn  this  expression  as  presumptuous,  fo* 
nothing  is  so  simple  as  Art,  when  once  we  have  the  clue  to  her 
infinite  meanings. 

White  among  the  many  white  days  of  my  travel,  that  day 


512  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

at  Thebes  is  registered ;  and  if  I  left  with  pain,  and  the  vast 
regret  we  feel  on  turning  away  from  such  spots,  at  least  I  took 
with  me  the  joy  that  Thebes,  the  mighty  and  the  eternal,  was 
greater  to  me  in  its  living  reality  than  it  had  ever  been  in  all 
the  shadow-pictures  my  anticipation  had  drawn.  Nor  did  the 
faultless  pillars  of  the  Memnonium,  nor  the  obelisks  of  Kar- 
nak,  take  away  my  delight  in  the  humbler  objects  which  kept  a 
recognition  for  me.  The  horses,  whose  desert  blood  sent  its 
contagion  into  mine ;  the  lame  water-boy,  always  at  my  elbow 
with  his  earthen  bottle  ;  the  grave  guides,  who  considered  my 
smattering  of  Arabic  as  something  miraculous,  and  thence 
dubbed  me  "  Taylor  Effendi ;  "  the  half-naked  Fellahs  in  the 
harvest-fields,  who  remembered  some  idle  joke  of  mine, — all 
these  combined  to  touch  the  great  landscape  with  a  home-like 
influence,  and  to  make  it  seem,  in  some  wise,  like  an  old  rest- 
ing-place of  my  heart.  Mustapha  Achmet  Aga,  the  English 
agent  at  Luxor,  had  a  great  deal  to  tell  me  of  the  squabbles  of 
travellers  during  the  winter :  how  the  beach  was  lined  with 
foreign  boats  and  the  temples  crowded  day  after  day  with 
scores  of  visitors ;  how  these  quarrelled  with  their  dragomen, 
and  those  with  their  boatmen,  and  the  latter  with  each  other, 
till  I  thanked  Heaven  for  having  kept  me  away  from  Thebes 
at  such  a  riotous  period. 

Towards  evening  there  was  a  complete  calm,  and  every  thing 
was  so  favorable  for  our  downward  voyage  that  I  declined 
Mustapha's  invitation  to  dine  with  him  the  next  day,  and  set 
off  for  Kenneh.  The  sailors  rowed  lustily,  my  servant  Ali 
taking  the  leading  oar.  Ali  was  beside  himself  with  joy,  at 
the  prospect  of  reaching  his  home  and  astonishing  his  family 
with  his  marvellous  adventures  in  Soudan.     He  led  the  chorus 


SONGS    OF    THE    SAILORS.  513 

with  a  voice  so  strong  and  cheery  that  it  rang  from  shore  to 
shore.  As  I  was  unable  to  write  or  read,  I  sat  on  deck,  with 
the  boy  Hossayn  at  my  elbow  to  replenish  the  pipe  as  occasion 
required,  and  listened  to  the  songs  of  the  sailors.  Their 
repertory  was  so  large  that  I  was  unable  to  exhaust  it  during 
the  voyage.  One  of  their  favorite  songs  was  in  irregular 
trochaic  lines,  consisting  of  alternate  questions  and  answers, 
such  as  "  ed-dookan  el-liboodeh  fayn  ? '"  (where's  the  shop  of 
the  cotton  caps  ?)  sung  by  the  leader,  to  which  the  chorus  re- 
sponded :  "  Baliari  Luxor  beshwoytayn."  (A  little  to  the 
northward  of  Luxor).  Another  favorite  chorus  was  :  Imlal- 
imldl-imlalee  !  "  (Fill,  fill,  fill  to  me  !)  Many  of  the  songs 
were  of  too  broad  a  character  to  be  translated,  but  there  were 
two  of  a  more  refined  nature,  and  these,  from  the  mingled 
passion,  tenderness  and  melancholy  of  the  airs  to  which  they 
were  sung,  became  great  favorites  of  mine.* 

*  I  give  the  following  translations  of  these  two  song3,  as  nearly  liter- 
al as  possible : 

I. 

Look  at  me  with  your  eyes,  0  gazelle,  O  gazelle !  The  blossom  of 
your  cheeks  is  dear  to  me;  your  breasts  burst  the  silk  of  your  vest;  I 
cannot  loose  the  shawl  about  your  waist;  it  sinks  into  your  soft  waist, 
Who  possesses  you  is  blessed  by  heaven.  Look  at  me  with  your  eyes, 
O  gazelle,  0  gazelle !  Your  forehead  is  like  the  moon ;  your  face  is 
fairer  than  all  the  flowers  of  the  garden ;  your  bed  is  of  diamonds ;  he 
is  richer  than  a  King  who  can  sleep  thereon.  Look  at  me  with  your 
eyes,  0  gazelle,  0  gazelle  1 

II. 
O  night,  0  night — 0  darling,  I  lie  on  the  sands.      I  languish  for  the 

light  of  your  face ;  if  you  do  not  have  pity  on  me,  I  shall  die. 
0  night,  0  night — 0  darling,  I  lie  on  the  sands.     I  have  changed  color 
22* 


M4  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

Before  sunrise  we  reached  Kenneli.  Here  I  was  obliged 
to  stop  a  day  to  let  the  men  bake  their  bread,  and  I  employed 
the  time  in  taking  a  Turkish  bath  and  revisiting  the  temple  of 
Dendera.  My  servant  Ali  left  me,  as  his  family  resided  in 
the  place.  I  gave  him  a  good  present,  in  consideration  of  his 
service  during  the  toilsome  journey  we  had  just  closed.  He 
kissed  my  hand  very  gratefully,  and  I  felt  some  regret  at 
parting  with,  as  I  believed,  an  honest  servant,  and  a  worthy, 
though  wild  young  fellow.  What  was  my  mortification  on 
discovering  the  next  day  that  he  had  stolen  from  me  the  beau- 
tiful stick,  which  had  been  given  me  in  Khartoum  by  the  Sul- 
tana Nasra.  The  actual  worth  of  the  stick  was  trifling,  but  the 
notion  betrayed  an  ingratitude  which  I  had  not  expected,  even 
in  an  Arab.  I  had  a  charming  ride  to  Dendera,  over  the  fra- 
grant grassy  plain,  rippled  by  the  warm  west  wind.  I  was  ac- 
companied only  by  the  Fellah  who  owned  my  donkey — an  amia- 
ble fellow,  who  told  me  many  stories  about  the  robbers  who  used 
formerly  to  come  in  from  the  Desert  and  plunder  the  country. 
We  passed  a  fine  field  of  wheat,  growing  on  land  which  had 
been  uncultivated  for  twenty  years.  My  attendant  said  that 
this  was  the  work  of  a  certain  Effendi,  who,  having  seen  the 
neglected  field,  said  that  it  was  wrong  to  let  God's  good  ground 
lie  idle,  and  so  planted  it.  "  But  he  was  truly  a  good  man," 
he  added ;  "  and  that  is  the  reason  why  the  crop  is  so  good. 
If  he  had  been  a  bad  man,  the  wheat  would  not  have  grown  so 
finely  as  you  see  it." 

from  ray  longing  and  my  sorrow;  you  only  can  restore  me,  O  my 
darhng. 
0  night,  0  night — 0  darling,  I  lie  on  the  sands.     0  darling,  take  me  in  : 
give  me  a  place  by  your  side,  or  I  must  go  back  wretched  to  my 
own  country. 


DESCENDING    THE    NILE.  515 

For  three  days  after  leaving  Kenneh,  a  furious  head- wind 
did  its  best  to  beat  me  back,  and  in  that  time  we  only  made 
sixty  miles.  I  sighed  when  I  thought  of  the  heaps  of  letters 
awaiting  me  in  Cairo,  and  Achmet  could  not  sleep,  from  the 
desire  of  seeing  his  family  once  more.  He  considered  himself 
as  one  risen  from  the  dead.  He  had  heard  in  Luxor  that  his 
wife  was  alarmed  at  his  long  absence,  and  that  his  little  son 
went  daily  to  Boulak  to  make  inquiries  among  the  returning 
boats.  Besides,  my  eyes  were  no  better.  I  could  not  go 
ashore,  as  we  kept  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  my  only 
employment  was  to  lounge  on  the  outside  divan  and  gossip 
with  the  rais.  One  evening,  when  the  sky  was  overcast,  and 
the  wind  whirled  through  the  palm-trees,  we  saw  a  boy  on  the 
bank  crying  for  his  brother,  who  had  started  to  cross  the  river 
but  was  no  longer  to  be  seen.  Presently  an  old  man  came  out 
to  look  for  him,  in  a  hollow  palm-log,  which  rolled  on  the 
rough  waves.  We  feared  the  boy  had  been  drowned,  but  not 
long  afterwards  came  upon  him,  drifting  at  the  mercy  of  the 
current,  having  broken  his  oar.  By  the  old  man's  assistance 
he  got  back  to  the  shore  in  safety. 

On  the  fourth  day  the  wind  ceased.  The  Lotus  floated 
down  the  stream  as  lightly  as  the  snowy  blossom  whose  name 
I  gave  her.  We  passed  Grirgeh,  Ekhmin ;  and  at  noon  we 
brushed  the  foot  of  Djebel  Shekh  Hereedee  and  reached  the 
landing-place  of  Tahtah.  I  had  a  letter  from  Bufaa  Bey  in 
Khartoum  to  his  family  in  the  latter  town,  and  accordingly 
walked  thither  through  fields  of  superb  wheat,  heavy  with 
ripening  ears.  Tahtah  is  a  beautiful  old  town ;  the  houses  are 
of  burnt  brick ;  the  wood-work  shows  the  same  fanciful  Sara- 
cenic patterns  as  in  Cairo,  and  the  bazaar  is  as  quiet,  dim  and 


516  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

spicy  as  an  Oriental  dream.  I  found  the  Bey's  house,  and 
delivered  my  letter  through  a  slave.  The  wife,  or  wives,  whc 
remained  in  the  hareem,  invisible,  entertained  me  with  coffee 
and  pipes,  in  the  same  manner,  while  a  servant  went  to  bring 
the  Bey's  son  from  school.  Two  Copts,  who  had  assisted  me  in 
finding  the  house,  sat  in  the  court-yard,  and  entertained  them- 
selves with  speculations  concerning  my  journey,  not  supposing 
that  I  understood  them.  "  Girgos,"  said  one  to  the  other, 
"  the  Frank  must  have  a  great  deal  of  money  to  spend." 
"  You  may  well  say  that ;  "  his  friend  replied,  "  this  journey 
to  Soudan  must  have  cost  him  at  least  three  hundred  purses." 
In  a  short  time  the  Bey's  son  came,  accompanied  by  the 
schoolmaster.  He  was  a  weak,  languid  boy  of  eight  or  nine 
years  old,  and  our  interview  was  not  very  interesting.  I  there- 
fore sent  the  slave  to  bring  donkeys,  and  we  rode  back  to  the 
boat. 


STOUT    IN    HARVEST -TIME.  517 


CHAPTER    XL. 

THE      RETURN      TO       CAIRO CONCLUSION. 

Siout  In  Harvest-time — A  kind  Englishwoman — A  Slight  Experience  of  Hasheesh— 
The  Calm— Rapid  Progress  down  the  Nile— The  Last  Day  of  the  Voyage— Arrival 
at  Cairo— Tourists  preparing  for  the  Desert— Parting  with  Achmet— Conclusion. 

We  reached  Siout  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-eighth  of 
March,  twelve  days  after  leaving  Assouan.  I  had  seen  the 
town,  during  the  Spring  of  an  Eg}^ptian  November,  glittering 
over  seas  of  lusty  clover  and  young  wheat,  and  thought  it  never 
could  look  so  lovely  again ;  but  as  I  rode  up  the  long  dyke, 
overlooking  the  golden  waves  of  harvest,  and  breathing  the 
balm  wafted  from  lemon  groves  spangled  all  over  with  their 
milky  bloom,  I  knew  not  which  picture  to  place  in  my  mind's 
gallery.  I  remained  half  a  day  io  the  place,  partly  for  old  ac- 
quaintance sake,  and  partly  to  enjoy  the  bath,  the  cleanest  and 
most  luxurious  in  Egypt.  I  sought  for  some  relief  to  my 
eyes,  and  as  they  continued  to  pain  me  considerably,  I  went 
on  board  an  English  boat  which  had  arrived  before  me,  in  the 
hope  of  finding  some  medicine  adapted  to  my  case.  The  trav- 
ellers were  a  most  innocent-faced  Englishman  and  his  wife — a 
beautiful,  home-like   little  creature,  with  as  kind  a  heart  ag 


518  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

ever  beat.  They  had  no  medicine,  but  somebody  had  reeom* 
mended  a  decoction  of  parsley,  and  the  amiable  woman  spoiled 
their  soup  to  make  me  some,  and  I  half  suspect  threw  away 
her  Eau  de  Cologne  to  get  a  bottle  to  put  it  in.  I  am  sure  I 
bathed  my  eyes  duly,  with  a  strong  faith  in  its  efficacy,  and 
fancied  that  they  were  actually  improving,  but  on  the  second 
day  the  mixture  turned  sour  and  I  was  thrown  back  on  my 
hot  water  and  cold  water. 

While  in  Egypt,  I  had  frequently  heard  mention  of  the 
curious  effects  produced  by  hasheesh,  a  preparation  made  from 
the  cannabis  indica.  On  reaching  Siout,  I  took  occasion  to 
buy  some,  for  the  purpose  of  testing  it.  It  was  a  sort  of  paste, 
made  of  the  leaves  of  the  plant,  mixed  with  sugar  and  spices. 
The  taste  is  aromatic  and  slightly  pungent,  but  by  no  means 
disagreeable.  About  sunset,  I  took  what  Achmet  considered 
to  be  a  large  dose,  and  waited  half  an  hour  without  feeling  the 
slightest  effect.  I  then  repeated  it,  and  drank  a  cup  of  hot  tea 
immediately  afterwards.  In  about  ten  minutes,  I  became  con- 
scious of  the  gentlest  and  balmiest  feeling  of  rest  stealing  over 
me.  The  couch  on  which  I  sat  grew  soft  and  yielding  as  air  ; 
my  flesh  was  purged  from  all  gross  quality,  and  became  a 
gossamer  filagree  of  exquisite  nerves,  every  one  tingling  with  a 
sensation  which  was  too  dim  and  soft  to  be  pleasure,  but  which 
resembled  nothing  else  so  nearly.  No  sum  could  have  tempt- 
ed me  to  move  a  finger.  The  slightest  shock  seemed  enough 
to  crush  a  structure  so  frail  and  delicate  as  I  had  become.  I 
telt  like  one  of  those  wonderful  sprays  of  brittle  spar  which 
hang  for  ages  in  the  unstirred  air  of  a  cavern,  but  are  shivered 
to  pieces  by  the  breath  of  the  first  explorer. 

As  this    sensation,  which   lasted   but  a  short  time,  was 


A    SLIGHr    EXPERIENCE    OF    HASHEESH.  519 

gradually  fading  away,  I  found  myself  infected  with  a  ten- 
dency to  view  the  most  common  objects  in  a  ridiculous  light 
Achmet  was  sitting  on  one  of  the  provision  chests,  as  was  his 
custom  of  an  evening.  I  thought :  was  there  ever  any  thing 
so  absurd  as  to  see  him  sitting  on  that  chest  ?  and  laughed  im- 
moderately at  the  idea.  The  turban  worn  by  the  captain  next 
put  on  such  a  quizzical  appearance  that  I  chuckled  over  it  for 
some  time.  Of  all  turbans  in  the  world  it  was  the  most  ludi- 
crous. Various  other  things  affected  me  in  like  manner,  and 
at  last  it  seemed  to  me  that  my  eyes  were  increasing  in 
breadth.  "  Achmet,"  I  called  out,  "  how  is  this  ?  my  eyes  are 
precisely  like  two  onions."  This  was  my  crowning  piece  of 
absurdity.  I  laughed  so  loud  and  long  at  the  singular  com" 
parison  I  had  made,  that  when  I  ceased  from  sheer  weariness 
the  effect  was  over.  But  on  the  following  morning  my  eyes 
were  much  better,  and  I  was  able  to  write,  for  the  first  time  in 
a  week. 

The  calm  we  had  prayed  for  was  given  to  us.  The  Lotus 
floated,  sailed  and  was  rowed  down  the  Nile  at  the  rate  of 
seventy  miles  a  day,  all  hands  singing  in  chorus  day  and  night, 
while  the  rai's  and  his  nephew  Hossayn  beat  the  tarabooka  or 
played  the  reedy  zumarra.  It  was  a  triumphal  march ;  for 
my  six  men  outrowed  the  ten  men  of  the  Englishman.  Some- 
times the  latter  came  running  behind  us  till  they  were  within 
hail,  whereupon  my  men  would  stand  up  in  their  places,  and 
thundering  out  their  contemptuous  chorus  of  "  he.  torn.  tom,t 
lioosbarra  ! "  strike  the  water  so  furiously  with  their  long 
oars,  that  their  rivals  soon  slunk  out  of  hearing.  So  we  went 
down,  all  excitement,  passing  in  one  day  a  space,  which  it  had 
taken  us  four  days  to  make,  on  our  ascent.     One  day  at  Man- 


520  JOURNEY  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

faloot ;  the  next  at  Minyeh  ;  the  next  at  Benisooef ;  the  next 
in  sight  of  the  Pyramids ;  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  in  spite 
of  all  my  delays  before  reaching  Siout,  on  the  sixteenth  day 
after  leaving  Assouan,  I  saw  the  gray  piles  of  Dashoor  and 
Sakkara  pass  behind  me  and  grow  dim  under  the  Libyan 
Hills. 

And  now  dawns  the  morning  of  the  first  of  April,  1852 — a 
day  which  will  be  ever  memorable  to  Achmet  and  myself,  as 
that  of  our  return  to  Cairo.  When  the  first  cock  crowed  in 
some  village  on  shore,  we  all  arose  and  put  the  Lotus  in  mo- 
tion. Over  the  golden  wheat-fields  of  the  western  bank  the 
pyramids  of  Dashoor  stand  clear  and  purple  in  the  distance. 
It  is  a  superb  morning ;  calm,  bright,  mild,  and  vocal  with  the 
songs  of  a  thousand  birds  among  the  palms.  Ten  o'clock 
comes,  and  Achmet,  who  has  been  standing  on  the  cabin-roof, 
cries  :  "  0  my  master  !  God  be  praised  !  there  are  the  mina- 
rets of  Sultan  Hassan  ! "  At  noon  there  is  a  strong  head- 
wind, but  the  men  dare  not  stop.  We  rejoice  over  every  mile 
they  make.  The  minaret  of  old  Cairo  is  in  sight,  and  I  give 
the  .boat  until  three  o'clock  to  reach  the  place.  If  it  fails,  I 
shall  land  and  walk.  The  wind  slackens  a  little  and  we  work 
down  towards  the  island  of  Iloda,  Gizeh  on  our  left.  At  last 
we  enter  the  narrow  channel  between  the  island  and  Old  Cairo; 
it  is  not  yet  three  o'clock.  I  have  my  pistols  loaded  with  a 
double  charge  of  powder.  There  are  donkeys  and  donkey-boys 
on  the  shore,  but  Arabian  chargers  with  Persian  grooms  were 
not  a  more  welcome  sight.  We  call  them,  and  a  horde  comes 
rushing  down  to  the  water.  I  fire  my  pistols  against  the  bank 
of  Roda,  stunning  the  gardeners  and  frightening  the  donkey 
boys.     Mounted  at  last,  leaving  Achmet  to  go  on  with  the 


ARRIVAL    AT    CAIRO.  521 

boat  to  Boulak,  I  dash  at  full  speed  down  the  long  street  lead- 
ing into  the  heart  of  Cairo.  No  heed  now  of  a  broken  neck  : 
away  we  go,  upsetting  Turks,  astonishing  Copts  and  making 
Christians  indignant,  till  I  pull  up  in  the  shady  alley  before 
the  British  consulate.  The  door  is  not  closed,  and  I  go  up 
stairs  with  three  leaps  and  ask  for  letters.  None ;  but  a 
quantity  of  papers  which  the  shirt  of  my  donkey-boy  is  scarce- 
ly capacious  enough  to  hold.  And  now  at  full  speed  to  my 
banker's.  "Are  there  any  letters  for  me?"  "Letters? — a 
drawer  full ! "  and  he  reaches  me  the  missives,  more  precious 
than  gold.  Was  not  that  a  sweet  repayment  for  my  five 
months  in  the  heat  and  silence  and  mystery  of  mid- Africa, 
when  I  sat  by  my  window,  opening  on  the  great  square  of  Cai- 
ro, fanned  by  cool  airs  from  the  flowering  lemon  groves,  with 
the  words  of  home  in  my  ears,  and  my  heart  beating  a  fervent 
response  to  the  sunset  call  from  the  minarets  :  "  God  is  great ! 
God  is  merciful  1" 


1  stayed  eight  days  in  Cairo,  to  allow  my  eyes  time  to 
heal.  The  season  of  winter  travel  was  over,  and  the  few 
tourists  who  still  lingered,  were  about  starting  for  Palestine, 
by  way  of  Gaza.  People  were  talking  of  the  intense  heat,  and 
dreading  the  advent  of  the  kJiamseen,  or  south-wind,  so  called 
because  it  blows  fifty  days.  I  found  the  temperature  rather 
cool  than  warm,  and  the  khamseen,  which  blew  occasionally, 
filling  the  city  with  dust,  was  mild  as  a  zephyr,  fcmnpared  to 
the  furnace-like  blasts  of  the  African  Desert.  Gentlemen  pre- 
pared themselves  for  the  journey  across  the  Desert,  by  pur- 
chasing broad-brimmed  hats,  green  veils,  double-lined  uinbrel" 


522  JOURNEY    TO    CENTRAL    AFRICA. 

las,  and  blue  spectacles.  These  may  be  all  very  good,  but  I 
have  never  seen  the  sun  nor  felt  the  heat  which  could  induce 
me  to  adopt  them.  I  would  not  exchange  my  recollections  of 
the  fierce  red  Desert,  blazing  all  over  with  intensest  light,  for 
any  amount  of  green,  gauzy  sky  and  blue  sand.  And  as  for 
an  umbrella,  the  Desert  with  a  continual  shade  around  you,  is 
no  desert  at  all.  You  must  let  the  Sun  lay  his  sceptre  on 
your  head,  if  you  want  to  know  his  power. 

I  left  Cairo  with  regret,  as  I  left  Thebes  and  the  White 
Nile,  and  every  other  place  which  gives  one  all  that  he  came 
to  seek.  Moreover,  I  left  behind  me  my  faithful  dragoman, 
Achmet.  He  had  found  a  new  son  in  his  home,  but  also  an 
invalid  wife,  who  demanded  his  care,  and  so  he  was  obliged  to 
give  up  the  journey  with  me  through  Syria.  He  had  quite  en- 
deared himself  to  me  by  his  constant  devotion,  his  activity, 
honesty  and  intelligence,  and  I  had  always  treated  him  rather 
as  a  friend  than  servant.  I  believe  the  man  really  loved  me, 
for  he  turned  pale  under  all  the  darkness  of  his  skin,  when  we 
parted  at  Boulak. 

I  took  the  steamer  for  Alexandria,  and  two  or  three  days 
afterwards  sailed  for  fresh  adventures  in  another  Continent. 
If  the  reader,  who  has  been  my  companion  during  the  journey 
which  is  now  closed,  should  experience  no  more  fatigue  than  I 
did,  we  may  hereafter  share  also  in  those  adventures. 


FINIS. 


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